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THE  STAND-BY 


THE  STAND-BY 


BY 


EDMUND  P.  DOLE 


Author  of  "  Talks  about  Law' 


NEW  YORK 
THE   CENTURY  CO. 

1897 


Copyright,  1897,  by 
THE  CENTURY  Co. 


THE  DEVINNE  PRESS. 


TO  MY  SON 

HENRY  HAILE  DOLE 


341033 


CONTENTS 


PAET  ONE— ANTE-BELLUM 

PAGE 

I.  CRIMSON  AND  BLUE        .«      .       .       .  .       .         3 

II.  Miss  DENMAN             .        ,        .        .        .  .        .      9 

III.  ON  THE  "MYRA-GLADYS"      .    •    .        .  .        .        18 

IV.  "  DON'T  Go ! "     .      " .        .        .        .        ,  .        .21 

V.  LUCIFER  .*.......      .  .        ,  .        .        27 

VI.  "THE  PRESENTIMENT  is  FALSE"      .        .  .        .33 

VII.  THE  BEGINNING      .     „        .        ,        .  .        .        44 

VIII.  ON  THE  EIVER    .        .        .        .       .        .  .        .    50 

IX.  WHEREIN  DANIELS  DIFFER    .        ....  .        57 

X.  " WHERE  ANGELS  FEAR  TO  TREAD"        .  .        .65 

XL  A  BET  73 


PAET  TWO-THE  FIEST  CAMPAIGN 

I.  IN  EEM    .        .       ...        .        .       .       .        83 

II.  THE  LOCKOUT     . 89 

III.  "  I  SHALL  HATE  You "...        .        .        .        97 

IV.  THE  TEETH  OF  THE  LAW 105 

V.  PROSECUTIONS  EXTRAORDINARY     ....      115 

VI.    O'LEARY 126 

VII.  TUNNELING 132 

VIII.  "I  MUST  SPEAK  Now" 140 

IX.  COLLAPSE 146 

ix 


*  CONTENTS 

PART  THREE -THE  LEAGUE 

PAGE 

I.  FORMING  THE  LEAGUE 155 

H.  THE  BILL 162 

III.  AN  OFFER  AND  A  PURCHASE          ....      170 

IV.  ONE  TO  Six 175 

V.  THE  VOICE  OF  MAMMON 181 

VI.  SEVEN  DEVILS 185 

VH.  IN  ITS  MAJESTY 191 

VIII.  HER  ANSWER .  199 

IX.  THE  CONVENTION 204 

X.  "O  DEATH,  WHERE  is  THY  VICTORY!"    .        .        .  209 

APPENDIX  219 


THE   STAND-BY 


PAET  ONE 

¥ 
ANTE-BELLUM 


THE  STAND-BY 


CRD1SON  AND  BLUE 

)HERE  had  been  excuses  without  end.  There 
always  are  when  defeats  seem  disgraceful. 
They  said  that  their  new  shell  had  been  too 
light  j  that  the  water  had  been  rough ;  that 
they  had  had  the  course  across  the  eel-grass.  The  Yale 
crew  had  lost  its  race  by  many  lengths,  and  had  become 
an  object  of  ridicule  in  the  public  press. 

Harvard  was  laden  with  boating  honors.  The  crew 
that  had  won  a  large  share  of  them,  and  had  left  Yale 
almost  out  of  sight,  was  to  row  with  her  again. 

But  Yale  was  hopeful,  if  not  confident.  Her  under 
graduates  and  thousands  of  her  alumni  knew  that  if 
she  was  beaten  it  would  be  honorable  defeat.  The 
sporting  fraternity  and  the  general  public  believed  that 
Harvard  w^ould  win,  but  they  expected  that  Yale  would 
fight  hard  enough  to  make  it  a  great  race,  and  even 
Harvard  men  admitted  that  it  might  be  close. 

3 


-STAND-BY 

"You  see,  Senator  Clifford/'  said  Tom  Andrews,— 
and  lie  voiced  the  general  opinion,— "you  see,  we 
would  n't  have  had  a  ghost  of  a  show  if  it  had  n't  been 
for  the  '  Stand-by.'  Harvard  has  a  veteran  crew,  but 
we  've  got  the  captain.  He  's  all  brains  and  sand. 
He  won't  make  any  errors,  and  he  will  keep  every  man 
in  his  shell  up  to  his  work  for  every  ounce  of  muscle 
there  is  in  him  from  start  to  finish." 

The  day  was  perfect.  The  broad  expanse  of  water, 
unruffled  by  a  breeze,  glistened  in  the  sunlight  like 
burnished  silver.  All  things  favored  a  fair  trial  of 
strength  and  skill. 

From  their  quarters,  a  mile  or  more  above,  the  rival 
crews  swept  down  the  river,  not  at  speed,  but  with 
a  good,  swinging  stroke  that  started  the  sweat  and 
limbered  their  muscles. 

In  addition  to  the  cockswains  they  numbered  sixteen 
men,  picked  from  many  hundred.  For  months  they 
had  worked  to  gain  strength  and  endurance.  For 
months  they  had  rowed,  at  first  in  the  gymnasium 
tanks,  then,  when  spring  came,  on  the  harbor  and  the 
river.  For  weeks  they  had  retired  at  ten,  and  had 
eaten  at  the  training-table.  For  the  time  being,  like 
Samson  and  Hercules,  they  were  men  set  apart  from 
their  fellows,  selected  to  uphold  in  a  brief  but  agoniz 
ing  contest  the  honor  of  two  great  universities. 

They  were  greeted  with  deafening  cheers  from  the 
"movable  grand  stand,"  the  long  train  of  platform- 
cars  that  lined  the  west  bank  of  the  river. 

"  'Rah,  'rah,  'rah  !  'Rah,  'rah,  'rah !  'Rah,  'rah,  'rah ! 
'Arvard !  "  yelled  hundreds  of  Cambridge  under-gradu- 
ates,  in  perfect  time. 


CRIMSON  AND  BLUE  5 

"  Harvard,  Harvard,  Harvard !  n  shouted  their  thou 
sands  of  friends. 

Distinct  as  the  voice  of  one  man,  loud  as  a  peal  of 
thunder,  came  the  answering  cry :  "  Breke-kek-ex  ko- 
ax  ko-ax !  Breke-kek-ex  ko-ax  ko-ax !  O  op,  O  op, 
parabalou !  Yale !  " 

"'Rah, 'rah, 'rah!  'Rah,  'rah,  'rah !  'Rah,  'rah,  'rah ! 
Yale !  "  shouted  thousands  who  wore  the  blue. 

"  Hie,  haee,  hoc !  Hug-us,  hug-us,  hug-us !  Yum, 
yum!  Smack,  smack!  Vassar-r-r!"  piped  a  mis 
chievous  ventriloquist,  as  the  roar  died  away. 

The  boats  took  their  places. 

It  was  the  moment  of  sickening  dread  that  comes 
before  battle,  but  every  man  in  the  crews  sat  rigid  and 
quiet,  ready  to  fight  for  the  last  inch,  even  when  over 
wrought  muscles  were  thrilling  with  agony  and  an  in 
stant's  respite  was  relief  from  supreme  torture. 

"  Are  you  ready  ? "  There  was  a  quiet  response  from 
each  boat,  and  then  the  crack  of  a  pistol. 

At  the  pistol's  flash  eight  sinewy  bodies  bent  to  their 
work  for  the  glory  of  the  crimson,  and  eight  for  the 
glory  of  the  blue.  Harvard  started  with  a  magnificent 
spurt  and  instantly  took  the  lead.  Yale  followed 
with  thirty-two  long,  strong,  uniform  strokes  to  the 
minute.  For  a  mile  the  distance  between  the  boats 
did  not  perceptibly  change. 

The  platform-cars,  with  their  thousands  of  specta 
tors,  kept  opposite  the  rowers,  and  ever  and  again 
cheers  burst  forth  like  salvos  of  artillery:  "'Rah, 
'rah,  'rah !  'Rah,  'rah,  'rah !  'Rah,  'rah,  'rah !  'Ar- 
vard !  "  "  Breke-kek-ex  ko-ax  ko-ax !  Breke-kek-ex 
ko-ax  ko-ax !  O  op,  O  op,  parabalou !  Yale !  "  "  Har- 
i* 


6  THE  STAND-BY 

vard,  Harvard,  Harvard !"  "  Yale,  Yale,  Yale  !"  The 
excitement  became  intense. 

Harvard  maintained  her  lead  till  the  second  half  of 
the  second  mile,  when  she  made  a  spurt,  putting  her 
more  than  a  length  ahead. 

The  spurt  was  good  generalship.  It  seemed  to 
presage  easy  victory.  It  disheartened  Yale's  friends. 
It  set  Harvard's  wild  with  enthusiasm.  The  cheers 
for  Harvard  were  deafening.  The  cries  for  Yale  were 
like  a  wail  of  despair.  It  was  a  terrible  ordeal  for  a 
new  crew  rowing  against  veterans  flushed  with  victory, 
an  ordeal  that  nothing  but  indomitable  will,  iron  dis 
cipline,  and  perfect  confidence  in  a  leader  could  sustain. 
A  momentary  discouragement,  the  least  relaxation  of 
effort  on  the  part  of  a  single  man,  and  Yale's  chance 
was  hopelessly  lost. 

It  was  good  generalship  when  Napoleon  hurled  his 
Old  Guard  to  foam  itself  away  against  the  British 
squares  at  Waterloo,  for  on  a  hundred  battle-fields 
it  had  carried  all  before  it;  but  Englishmen  and 
Scotchmen  were  there  to  stay— as  conquerors  or  as 
corpses. 

At  the  end  of  the  third  mile  Yale  had  raised  her 
stroke  a  trifle  and  was  scarcely  a  length  behind.  Both 
sides  cheered  frantically. 

In  the  first  quarter  of  the  fourth  and  last  mile  Yale 
spurted  and  began  to  creep  up;  but  Harvard  again 
quickened,  and  the  gain  was  lost. 

In  the  last  half  Harvard  began  to  show  the  exhaust 
ing  effect  of  her  tremendous  spurts,  and  her  stroke 
became  ragged. 

"  Our  boys  have  won  the  race  all  right,"  said  Har- 


CRIMSON  AND  BLUE  7 

vard  men,  "but  if  there  ;s  sand  enough,  left  in  those 
fellows  to  make  a  handsome  spurt,  we  won't  have  much 
to  spare." 

"  We  've  still  got  a  show,"  replied  Yale  men,  "  and 
the  Stand-by  11  fight  her  for  all  there  is  in  it." 

"  Now,"  said  the  Yale  captain  to  his  crew,  "  a  spurt 
to  the  finish !  " 

In  that  low,  quiet  tone  was  the  fierce  joy  of  conflict 
and  the  inspiration  of  victory.  The  response  came 
from  bare,  brown,  sinewy  arms.  Breath  was  too  pre 
cious  for  words.  There  was  no  sound  save  the  quick, 
regular  dipping  of  the  spoons,  and  the  rushing  of 
the  water,  and  the  wild  cheers  from  the  west  shore. 
Under  those  long,  powerful  strokes  the  shell  seemed 
to  rise  like  a  flying-fish  and  fairly  leap  through  the 
water. 

Harvard  had  made  three  great  spurts,  the  last  in  the 
last  two  minutes.  It  was  not  in  flesh  and  blood  to 
make  another  so  soon.  Yale  was  gaining  steadily; 
then  she  touched— barely  touched— a  mass  of  floating 
seaweed.  It  delayed  her  only  an  instant,  but  that  in 
stant  brought  the  loss,  as  it  seemed,  of  her  only  chance. 

The  rival  crew  so  regarded  it,  and  rowed  with  more 
confidence.  The  spectators  so  understood  it,  and 
"  'Rah,  'rah,  'rah !  'Rah,  'rah,  'rah !  'Rah,  'rah,  'rah ! 
'Arvard ! "  burst  forth  like  a  peal  of  thunder. 

An  expression  of  ghastly  despair  flitted  over  the 
faces  of  the  Yale  crew.  "  Now ! "  exclaimed  their  cap 
tain,  and  his  voice,  though  low,  stirred  them  like  a 
trumpet.  The  expression  of  despair  vanished.  His 
spirit  had  recovered  full  possession  of  them — the  spirit 
that  in  the  supreme  moment  counts  life  nothing,  vie- 


8  THE  STAND-BY 

tory  everything.  There  was  no  flurry.  The  thirty-six 
strokes  to  the  minute  had  the  regularity,  sweep,  and 
power  of  the  thirty- two. 

Seconds  passed.  The  cheering  was  continuous  now, 
the  excitement  was  so  intense.  The  boats  were  prow 
and  prow,  and  the  finish  was  only  half  a  dozen  rods 
away. 

As  the  Yale  cockswain  glanced  at  his  captain  he  saw 
that  his  face  looked  drawn ;  but  the  eyes  themselves 
were  bright,  the  teeth  were  set,  the  stroke  did  not  falter, 
and  the  iron  muscles  still  bent  the  strong  oar  like  a 
reed. 

A  moment  later  the  boats  swept  past  the  line,  Yale 
three  feet  ahead,  and  her  captain  fell  back  into  the 
arms  of  the  man  behind  him. 

The  honor  of  a  great  university  was  redeemed.  It 
was  worth  living  for.  It  was  worth  dying  for. 

Smooth-cheeked  freshmen,  dignified  seniors,  and 
gray-haired  alumni,  wild  with  excitement,  rushed 
down  to  the  water  to  watch  the  crew  as  it  boarded 
the  college  launch.  Anxiously,  tenderly,  proudly,  the 
captain  was  taken  aboard. 

From  the  harbor  the  guns  of  the  yachts  thundered 
their  salutes,  but  louder  and  longer  and  wilder  than 
the  thunders  of  the  cannon  rose  the  cry  from  twenty 
thousand  throats :  "  'Rah,  'rah,  'rah !  'Rah,  'rah,  'rah ! 
'Rah,  'rah,  'rah !  Yale !  " 


II 

MISS  DENMAN 

)OU  see,"  said  Tom  Andrews,  "  chum  was  n't 
a  boating  man  at  first.  We  made  him  try 
for  the  crew  because  we  all  knew  there 
was  n't  any  one  else  who  could  bring  out 
as  he  could  the  full  strength  of  every  oar  just  when  it 
was  needed  most.  It  's  a  way  he  has  of  managing 
men." 

"  Which  means  winning  the  battle  of  life,"  remarked 
Senator  Clifford. 

"  There  's  no  knowing  what  he  '11  be  one  of  these 
days,"  continued  Tom.  "  He 's  the  most  popular  man 
in  the  class,  and  a  Bones  man." 

"What  's  a  Bones  man?"  asked  Miss  Clifford,  a 
rather  plain  young  lady  with  a  pleasant  face. 

"  That 's  what  I  'd  like  to  know,"  said  Tom.  « It  's 
a  senior  society,  the  most  select  and  mysterious  of  the 
college  societies.  He  is  n't  enough  of  a  dig  to  be 
valedictorian,  but  he  '11  win  the  De  Forest,  and  that 's 
a  great  deal  better." 

"  What  is  the  De  Forest  ? "  inquired  Mrs.  Clifford. 

"  It 's  the  best  Townsend." 

9 


10  THE  STAND-BY 

"And  what  is  a  Townsend?" 

"The  six  best  writers  and  speakers  in  the  senior 
class  get  the  Townsend  prizes,  and  the  best  of  the  six 
gets  the  De  Forest.  It  's  the  highest  literary  honor  a 
Yale  man  can  win.  Craigin  is  one  of  the  best  writers 
in  our  class,  and  the  best  speaker." 

"He  certainly  has  a  warm  advocate  in  you,  Tom/7 
said  Mrs.  Clifford. 

"  Why  should  n't  he  have  ?  He  'd  stand  by  me  to  the 
death.  He  's  the  Stand-by.  That  's  what  we  all  call 
him,  and  we  fellows  size  each  other  up  pretty  well,  Mrs. 
Clifford.  He  would  n't  go  back  on  a  friend  if  a  pack 
of  wolves  were  at  his  throat.  He  's  the  whitest  man  I 
know,  and  as  brainy  and  brave  as  Uncle  John  Denman." 

"  Thank  you !  "  interrupted  the  beautiful  girl. 

"That  's  all  right,  Isabel!  We  know  you  think 
there  never  was  any  one  else  in  the  world  like  your 
father  j  but  I  tell  you,  Craigin  's  more  like  him  in 
some  ways  than  you  'd  believe,  with  all  your  gift  for 
reading  people." 

"Why,  Tom,  I  was  n't  sarcastic.  I  was  glad  you 
spoke  that  way  about  papa  and  your  friend." 

"  You  see,  Senator  Clifford,"  continued  Tom,  return 
ing  to  his  eulogy,  "  we  fellows  all  feel  that  Craigin  is 
different  from  the  rest  of  us— lives  on  a  higher  plane, 
as  Prex  would  say.  He  's  a  little  stiff  and  cranky  in 
some  of  his  notions— at  least  you  'd  think  so,  and  we 
think  so ;  but  we  don't  like  him  any  the  less  for  it,  for 
there  is  n't  a  bit  of  cant  about  him,  and  we  all  know 
if  he  thought  a  thing  was  right  he  'd  stand  by  it,  life 
or  death,  and  never  flinch  a  hair." 

"  I  'd  like—"  began  the  old  statesman. 


MISS  DENMAN  11 

He  did  n't  finish  the  sentence,  for  at  that  moment 
several  hundred  college  men,  in  the  halls  and  corridors 
of  the  hotel  and  in  the  streets  close  by,  struck  up  their 


"  Oh !  the  bulldog  on  the  bank, 

And  the  bullfrog  in  the  pool ; 
Oh !  the  bulldog  on  the  bank, 

And  the  bullfrog  in  the  pool ; 
Oh !  the  bulldog  on  the  bank, 

And  the  bullfrog  in  the  pool ; 
The  bulldog  called  the  bullfrog 

A  great  big  water  fool. 

"  Singing, 

Shool,  shool,  shool  I  rool, 
Shool  I  shag-a-rack,  shool-a-barb-a-cool, 

The  first  time  I  saw  her, 
Shool  I  bally  eel, 
Dis  cum  bibble  lola  boo,  slow  reel. 

"  Saw  my  leg  off, 
Saw  my  leg  off, 
Saw  my  leg  off 
Short ! 

"  A  boy  he  had  an  auger 

That  bored  two  holes  at  once ; 
A  boy  he  had  an  auger 

That  bored  two  holes  at  once ; 
And  we  buried  him  in  the  lowlands,  lowlands, 

lowlands, 
And  we  buried  him  in  the  lowlands,  low ! 

"Old  Noah  he  did  build  an  ark, 

Luddy,  fuddy,  oh  !  poor  luddy,  heigh-ho  ! 
To  sail  about  in  Central  Park. 

Luddy,  fuddy,  oh  !  poor  luddy,  fuddy ! 
Oh !  luddy,  fuddy,  poor  luddy,  heigh-ho  ! " 


12  THE  STAND-BY 

After  serenading  the  hotel  for  fifteen  or  twenty 
minutes  they  started  out  through  the  town.  Hundreds 
of  students  marched  up  and  down  the  streets,  singing 
their  songs  and  yelling,  "  Breke-kek-ex  ko-ax  ko-ax ! 
Breke-kek-ex  ko-ax  ko-ax !  O  op,  O  op,  parabalou ! 
Craigin  !  "  Hundreds  of  men  who  were  not  up  in  "  The 
Frogs  "  of  Aristophanes,  from  graduates  of  forty  years' 
standing  to  the  relatives  and  friends  of  mere  fresh 
men,  joined  the  procession,  shouting  at  the  top  of  their 
voices,  "  'Rah,  7rah,  'rah !  'Rah,  'rah,  'rah !  'Rah,  'rah, 
'rah !  Yale !  " 

"Tom,"  said  the  senator,  "I  wish  we  might  meet 
your  friend." 

"  I  'd  set  my  heart  on  it,"  replied  Tom.  "  I  spoke  to 
the  doctor  about  it  awhile  ago,  and  he  said  he  thought 
it  would  be  all  right  in  an  hour  or  so.  I  '11  go  and  see 
now." 

In  about  fifteen  minutes  a  shout  came  from  the 
hotel  office,  "Here  's  Craigin."  The  few  bystanders 
took  it  up.  The  news  passed  from  lip  to  lip  as  beacon- 
lights  flash  from  hill  fco  hill,  and  from  the  marching 
hosts  down  the  street  and  from  every  part  of  the  little 
city,  filled  to  overflowing  with  friends  of  old  Yale,  came 
the  exultant  cry,  "Craigin  's  all  right!  'Rah  for 
Craigin !  'Rah  for  the  Stand-by !  "  The  procession 
headed  down  street  turned  about.  In  a  few  minutes 
the  hotel  was  packed  and  surrounded  with  thousands 
of  men,  shouting,  "  What 's  the  matter  with  Craigin  ? 
He  7s  all  right !  "  Five,  ten,  fifteen  minutes  passed, 
and  the  hubbub  showed  no  signs  of  abating.  Every 
now  and  then  the  senator  and  his  party  heard  single 
voices  shouting,  "  How  are  you,  Craigin  ? "  "  Bully  for 


MISS  DENMAN  13 

you,  Craigin  !  "  "  God  bless  you,  Craigin !  "  and  then 
single  voices  were  drowned  in  a  mighty  roar. 

At  last  Tom  returned  with  the  hero  of  the  day. 

"  Senator  and  Mrs.  Clifford/7  he  said,  "  allow  me  to 
present  my  friend  Mr.  Craigin;  Miss  Clifford,  Mr. 
Craigin ;  my  cousin  Miss  Denman,  Mr.  Craigin.77 

Craigin  had  exchanged  his  rowing  costume— as 
nearly  Adam's  as  decency  permitted— for  a  fashion 
ably  cut  and  perfectly  fitting  summer  suit  of  rough 
navy  blue.  His  ordinary  weight  of  about  two  hundred 
pounds  had  been  reduced  by  training  to  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five,  and  by  the  terrible  contest  through 
which  he  had  just  passed  to  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
seven.  He  was  five  feet  ten  in  height,  straight  as  an 
arrow,  and  of  remarkable  figure.  His  feet  were  rather 
small  than  otherwise,  his  legs  compact  and  shapely, 
but  not  large.  From  the  hips  down  there  was  nothing 
striking  in  the  outlines  of  his  person.  From  the  hips 
up  he  thickened  like  a  double  wedge.  His  shoulders 
were  immensely  broad  in  proportion  to  his  hips,  and 
his  chest  was  correspondingly  full  and  deep.  Another 
peculiarity  was  the  extraordinary  length  of  his  arms. 
As  the  senator  grasped  the  young  man's  hand  he 
noticed  that,  though  small,  it  was  hard,  almost  like 
iron,  and  that  the  large  wrist  was  like  the  pastern  of 
a  thoroughbred  trotter.  The  old  man  had  a  keen  eye 
for  points  in  sporting  matters  as  well  as  in  things 
legal  and  political.  "  H7m ! 77  he  said  to  himself,  "  the 
youngster  could  strike  a  knock-down  blow  with  John 
L.  Sullivan.77 

If  the  "  youngster 77  resembled  the  world's  late  cham 
pion  in  length  and  strength  of  arms  and  in  massiveness 


14  THE  STAND-BY 

of  chest  and  shoulders,  there  was  no  hint  of  the  prize 
fighter  in  the  noble  face  and  head  that  crowned  them. 
It  was  a  strong  face,  distinguished-looking  rather  than 
handsome,  with  a  determined  chin,  a  beautiful  and 
sensitive  mouth,  a  broad  upper  lip  covered  with  a 
brown  mustache,  a  fine  nose,  and  clear  blue  eyes.  He 
was  evidently  a  blond,  but  training  in  the  hot  sun  had 
made  his  skin  for  the  time  being  a  mass  of  tan  and 
freckles. 

For  a  moment  they  looked  into  each  other's  eyes— 
the  hero  of  that  great  race,  whose  friend  had  declared 
him  brainy  and  brave  as  John  Denman,  and  John 
Denman's  daughter,  whose  beauty  would  have  distin 
guished  her  among  thousands.  But  more  striking 
than  her  beauty  were  Miss  Denman's  inimitable  grace 
of  motion,  and  the  strong,  proud  character  manifest  in 
her  radiant  features  and  large  dark  eyes, 

"  We  came  over  from  Newport  to  see  the  race,  and 
have  n't  been  disappointed,"  said  the  senator.  "We 
did  n't  have  anything  like  this  in  my  college  days. 
They  say  it  7s  the  best  on  record.  I  congratulate  you, 
Mr.  Craigin." 

"  I  'm  glad  Yale  can  accept  congratulations/7  replied 
Craigin.  "  But  honors  are  about  even,  Senator  Clifford 
—only  three  feet  difference  in  four  miles." 

The  terribly  dry,  choking  sensation,  and  the  feeling 
of  having  been  rasped  internally  from  lungs  to  throat, 
were  gradually  passing  away ;  but  the  athlete's  voice, 
naturally  clear  as  a  silver  bell,  still  trembled  and  was 
broken  and  husky.  There  was  a  pallor  under  his  brown 
skin,  and  under  his  eyes  were  large  black  circles.  How 
could  it  be  otherwise  ?  He  had  put  his  life  into  that  race. 


MISS  DENMAN  15 

Senator  Clifford  noticed  it,  and  the  modesty  of  the 
young  man's  bearing  and  answer.  It  was  the  bearing 
of  one  accustomed  to  good  society  and  perfectly  self- 
possessed,  yet  evidently  flattered  by  an  introduction  to 
the  famous  statesman. 

"  Ah ! "  said  the  senator,  "  that  won't  do !  I  gave 
you  a  non-negotiable  congratulation,  as  we  lawyers 
would  put  it,  one  you  can't  indorse  over  to  Yale  and 
Harvard.  The  others  did  well,  but  1 7m  enough  of  a 
sporting  man,  Mr.  Craigin,  to  know  that  you  won  that 
race  only  by  putting  your  own  brains  and  your  own 
life  against  victory.  You  see,  they  all  understand  it," 
he  remarked,  as  his  voice  was  drowned  by  the  deep, 
harsh,  guttural  cry,  in  perfect  time,  from  hundreds  of 
students  in  the  street  below:  " Breke-kek-ex  ko-ax 
ko-ax !  Breke-kek-ex  ko-ax  ko-ax !  O  op,  O  op,  para- 
balou !  Craigin  !  " 

The  conversation  became  general,  and,  sitting  oppo 
site  Miss  Denman,  Craigin  forgot  all  about  his  triumph 
and  that  he  was  under  the  doctor's  care. 

While  the  carriage  was  waiting  to  take  the  Cliffords 
and  Miss  Denman  to  their  train  the  senator  took 
Craigin  aside  for  a  little  private  conversation. 

"  My  boy,"  he  said,  "  I  'm  very  glad  I  Ve  met  you: 
If  you  '11  permit  it,  I  want  to  say  that  I  Ve  taken  to 
you  greatly.  I  like  you ;  I  believe  in  you.  I  hope  the 
time  will  come  when  I  can  serve  you." 

"  I  'm  very  glad,  proud,  to  have  you  feel  that  way 
toward  me." 

"  Tom  says  you  're  going  into  journalism." 

"Yes,  I  Ve  .intended  to  for  a  long  time." 

"  If  you  are  satisfied  that  that  's  your  vocation,  I 


16  THE  STAND-BY 

don't  know  as  I  would  want  to  influence  you  against 
it  if  I  could  j  but  I  'm  an  old  man,  and  have  seen  a 
great  deal  of  the  world,  and  I  know  you  '11  take  it  as 
kindly  as  I  mean  it  if  I  suggest  something  for  you  to 
think  over." 

"  I  certainly  will.     I  shall  be  very  thankful." 

"  You  're  not  a  man  for  a  subordinate  position,  to 
be  a  mere  editorial  writer ;  and  the  managing  editor 
of  a  great  paper  is  the  slave  of  the  counting-house,  of 
private  interests  and  political  expediency.  He  can't 
have  a  nice  conscience  and  be  a  success." 

"Do  you  think  so?" 

"  I  know  so.  He  can't  be  honest  any  more  than  a 
politician  can  be,  nor  half  as  much." 

"  But,  Senator  Clifford,  you  're  a  politician,  and  every 
body,  even  your  enemies,  says  you  're  honest." 

"Because  I  'm  honest  according  to  the  world's 
standard.  I  never  had  a  dollar  that  was  n't  fairly 
mine,  never  was  false  to  a  client,  never  went  back  on 
the  Republican  party,  and  I  think  I  never  lost  a  good 
chance  to  give  the  Democrats  hot  shot— that 's  my  re 
ligion;  and,  as  to  the  rest,  I  take  the  world  pretty 
much  as  I  find  it.  I  've  got  a  low  standard,  don't  pro 
fess  anything  else,  and  live  up  to  it.  You  've  got  a 
high  standard,  and  I  believe  you  live  up  to  it.  One 
reason  I  take  to  you  so  much  is  because  I  've  found 
the  genuine  article  of  your  grade  scarce  as  hen's  teeth ; 
and  another  is  because  I  love  a  fighter— all  the  world 
loves  a  fighter." 

"  Do  you  think  it 's  easier  to  get  on  with  a  nice  con 
science  in  law  than  it  is  as  a  managing  editor  ? " 

"  A  hundred  times.    It  may  handicap  a  young  law- 


MISS  DENMAN  17 

yer  at  first,  but  there  's  a  class  of  clients  in  business 
centers  who  are  willing  to  pay  large  fees  for  absolute 
honesty  with  brains  and  learning,  and  the  profession 
demands  such  men  for  the  bench." 

"Senator  Clifford,"  said  Miss  Denman,  returning 
and  laying  her  gloved  hand  on  his  shoulder,  "  the  train 
goes  in  seven  minutes.  If  we  don't  start  now  we  shall 
all  be  left." 

"  Gad !  is  n't  she  a  bird  ? "  exclaimed  one  of  Craigin's 
classmates,  thirty  seconds  later,  as  Craigin  handed  her 
into  the  carriage. 

"  A  bird !  "  retorted  another.  "  I  say  a  pair  of  birds ! 
And  a  finer  pair  never  was  mated." 

That  night  Craigin  left  the  banquet  early  by  doctor's 
orders,  and  went  to  bed  and  slept,  and  in  his  dreams 
there  came  to  him,  not  the  mighty  voice  of  thousands 
of  men  shouting  his  praises,  but  a  few  and  simple 
words  of  a  girl  of  seventeen. 


Ill 

ON  THE  "  MYRA-GLADYS  " 

iHE  Earl  and  Countess  of  Throckmorton  and 
their  two  sons,  Viscount  Stadwick  and  the 
Hon.  Mr.  Langdon,  on  their  yachting  trip 
along  the  coast,  stopped  over  a  few  days  at 
Newport.  Years  before  the  earl,  as  British  ambassa 
dor,  and  Senator  Clifford,  as  American  minister,  had 
represented  their  respective  governments  at  one  of 
the  great  European  capitals.  The  acquaintance  there 
formed  had  ripened  into  an  intimate  friendship,  and 
so  it  happened  that  when  they  met  at  Newport,  just 
after  the  great  regatta,  the  senatorial  party  changed 
their  plans  and  went  yachting  with  the  earl's  up  the 
coast  of  Labrador. 

The  senator  had  spent  his  boyhood  on  a  rocky  New 
England  farm.  He  had  worked  his  way  through  col 
lege  by  swinging  his  scythe  in  summer  and  teaching 
district  schools  in  winter.  Unaided  he  had  struggled 
to  front  rank  in  his  profession  and  to  leadership  in 
American  politics.  His  distinction  was  personal.  No 
son  could  inherit  it.  Even  his  modest  fortune  was  al 
most  sure  to  be  scattered  or  lost  in  the  second  or  third 
generation.  He  was  a  representative  product  of  demo 
cratic  institutions,  as  his  friend  was  of  a  great  and 

18 


ON  THE   "MYRA-GLADYS"  19 

proud  aristocracy— the  one  of  the  man  that  dies,  the 
other  of  the  family  that  goes  on  from  age  to  age. 

For  the  gigantic,  fat,  red-faced,  red-whiskered,  red 
headed,  jolly  old  Englishman,  who  wore  a  slouch-hat 
and  pea-jacket  and  smoked  a  corn-cob  pipe  on  board 
his  yacht,  and  played  ring-toss  as  merrily  as  a  boy  and 
whist  as  seriously  as  if  the  fate  of  empires  hung  on  it, 
was  one  of  the  shrewdest  statesmen,  one  of  the  richest 
and  most  blue-blooded  noblemen,  in  Europe,  with  a 
pedigree  crossing  royal  lines  and  stretching  back  into 
the  dark  ages.  The  Cliffords  and  Isabel  Denman  well 
knew  how  much  of  a  personage  he  was,  and  that  the 
big,  handsome  young  viscount,  who  was  so  attentive 
to  them  all,  especially  to  Isabel,  as  surely  as  he  lived 
would  one  day  be  one  of  the  greatest  of  English  peers. 

The  days  passed  swiftly  as  they  skirted  the  coast  of 
Labrador.  A  rugged  coast,  indented  with  bays  and 
inlets  and  fine,  deep  harbors.  "  Dark  and  yellow 
headlands  towering  over  the  waters,  some  grim  and 
naked,  others  clear  in  the  pale  green  of  mosses  and 
dwarf  shrubbery.  Eocky  precipices,  fantastic  and  pic 
turesque  in  form,  with  stony  vales  winding  alway 
among  the  blue  hills  of  the  interior."  Islands,  islands 
everywhere !  Majestic  icebergs,  slowly  drifting  south 
ward,  gleaming  under  the  sunlight  and  under  the  moon 
light  in  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  like  huge  prisms ! 

Stopping  now  and  then  at  points  of  interest,— Battle 
Harbor,  Ivuktoka,  Point  Rigoulette,  Cape  Webuck,  Cape 
Chudleigh,— the  party  spent  a  month  cruising  to  the 
northernmost  confines  of  the  great  peninsula  and  back 
again.  A  month  is  a  long  time  when  young  men  and 
maidens  are  together  on  a  pleasure-yacht.  They  played 


20  THE  STAND-BY 

games;  they  sang  songs;  they  danced,  Mrs.  Clifford 
playing  the  piano  and  the  old  earl  the  fiddle.  When 
the  fog  settled  down  and  there  was  nothing  to  see,  they 
improvised  a  little  farce,  and  read  the  same  books. 
Most  delightful  of  all  were  the  moonlight  evenings, 
when  they  sat  on  deck  wrapped  in  furs,  and  talked  and 
sang  and  gazed  on  the  grand,  stern  outlines  of  the 
desolate  land  and  the  ever-changing  sea  and  the  glory 
of  the  northern  heavens. 

Long  before  the  voyage  was  ended  Isabel  knew, 
though  no  word  had  been  spoken,  that  the  heir  to  that 
great  earldom  loved  her  with  his  whole  heart,  and  real 
ized  that  she  was  beginning  to  like  him  better  than  any 
other  young  man  she  had  ever  met. 

"  Getting  serious,  is  n't  it  ? "  observed  the  earl,  one 
night  as  they  were  skirting  the  Maine  coast  on  their 
return. 

"  I  'm  glad  of  it,  John,"  replied  the  countess ;  "  she  11 
be  a  woman  among  thousands— only— " 

" Only  what?" 

"  Only  I  wish  she  was  n't  a  brewer's  daughter !  " 

"So  do  I! "  exclaimed  the  earl.  "It  may  be  class 
prejudice,  but  in  spite  of  all  Clifford  says  about  the 
man,  I  can't  help  it." 

Isabel  read  their  hearts  like  an  open  book— the  joy 
with  which  they  would  welcome  her  as  a  daughter,  the 
distaste,  which  they  supposed  so  carefully  concealed, 
for  her  father's  plebeian  occupation.  It  stung  her  to 
the  quick. 

"  He 's  a  brewer,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  but  he 's  John 
Denman.  I  've  never  seen  a  man  to  stand  beside  him 
—unless— unless  it 's  the  Stand-by." 


IV 

"DON'T  GO!" 

>T  was  senior  vacation.  Craigin  was  a  De 
Forest,  and  in  three  weeks  would  be  a 
B.  A.  and  enter  the  great  race  of  life.  Ex 
aminations  had  closed  that  day,  and  he  and 
Andrews  were  spending  one  of  their  last  evenings  to 
gether  in  the  old  room  in  South  College. 

"  Tom/7  he  said,  "  you  7re  always  talking  about  Aps- 
leigh ;  what  sort  of  a  place  is  it  to  live  in  ? " 
"A  daisy.     Why?" 

"  That  7s  the  why/7  replied  Craigin,  tossing  his  room 
mate  a  letter. 

Tom  read  as  follows : 

MR.  WILLIAM  H.  CRAIGIN. 

DEAR  SIR  :  Our  present  editor  is  about  to  leave,  and  one  of 
your  professors,  an  old  friend  and  classmate  of  mine,  says  we 
shall  be  extremely  fortunate  if  we  can  get  you  to  take  his  place. 
There  is  one  other  Republican  daily,  the  "Times,"  in  our  little 
city.  It  is  the  oldest  and  one  of  the  ablest  papers  in  the  State. 
The  "  Tocsin  "  is  a  new  paper,  intended  to  voice  more  positive 
convictions  of  right  and  wrong  than  the  "  Times  "  appears  to 
have,  to  lead  rather  than  follow,  and  represent  principles  rather 
than  spoils.  Of  course  we  have  a  good  deal  to  contend  with. 
2*  21 


22  THE  STAND-BY 

We  can't  pay  you  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  month 
until  we  get  on  a  better  financial  basis.    We  could  not  think  of 
offering  you  even  that  if  it  were  not  for  the  exceptionally  good 
things  said  of  you.     Will  you  come  and  see  us? 
Very  sincerely  yours, 

HENRY  HARNETT, 
President  of  Tocsin  Publishing  Co. 

"  That  >s  just  your  kind  of  paper,"  said  Andrews,  as 
he  finished  reading  the  letter. 

"  Then  you  'd  say  go,  would  n't  you  ? " 

Tom  smoked  reflectively  for  many  minutes  before 
replying:  "If  you  want  my  advice,  Billy,  don't  go; 
don't  have  anything  to  do  with  it." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because,  as  sure  as  you  do,  sooner  or  later  you  '11 
lock  horns  with  Uncle  John." 

"Well?" 

"  You  won't  say  whatever  the  almighty  dollar  tells 
you ;  you  '11  say  what  you  honestly  think." 

"  Of  course,  if  I  go." 

"And  you  can't  edit  that  kind  of  a  paper  in  that 
State  without  getting  mixed  up  with  the  liquor 
question." 

"Well?" 

"  Well,  Uncle  John,  as  you  know,  has  a  big  brewery, 
a  big  wholesale  and  retail  liquor  house,  the  two  lead 
ing  hotels  in  Apsleigh,  and  controls  the  liquor  business 
in  all  that  part  of  the  State.  He  7s  worth  several 
millions;  but  it  is  n't  money  gives  him  his  grip  so 
much  as  the  kind  of  man  he  is.  He 's  one  of  the  brav 
est,  most  generous,  tenderest-hearted  old  fellows  on 
earth.  It  is  n't  the  money  he  gives  so  much  as  the 


"DON'T  GO!"  23 

way  he  gives  it,  the  good  will  that  goes  with  it,  the  kind, 
beautiful,  Christ-like  things  he  's  doing  all  the  time— 


"Yes." 

"  And  he  stands  for  just  what  cranks  like  you  don't 
believe  in,  making  the  liquor  business  decent  instead 
of  trying  to  destroy  it.  They  've  had  the  stiff  est  kind  of 
a  prohibitory  law  up  there  for  twenty  years— on  paper 
—and  all  the  law  that  amounts  to  anything  is  Uncle 
John.  If  a  man  stands  in  with  him  and  keeps  a  decent 
place  he  knows  he  's  all  right,  and  he  knows  he  '11  have 
to  shut  up  pretty  d — d  quick  if  he  sells  to  children  and 
drunken  men  and  has  rows  and  knock-downs  and 
drag-outs.  For  years  and  years  the  city  governments 
that  have  had  these  things  in  charge  have  been  Uncle 
John's  shadow." 

"  Suppose  we  speak  of  him  as  his  Koyal  Highness, 
John,  King  of  Apsleigh,"  suggested  Craigin.  "  'T  is  n't 
democratic,  but  it  seems  to  hit  the  case  as  you  put  it." 

"  That 's  what  they  call  him, '  King  of  Apsleigh/  and 
I  tell  you,  mighty  few  kings  sit  their  thrones  as  he  does 
his.  People  love  him.  Then,  since  the  great  railroad 
fight,  they  don't  believe  anybody  can  down  him.  The 
railroad  folks  thought  they  had  him  where  they  could 
squeeze  him  dry,  and  it  ended  with  the  railroad  in  his 
breeches  pocket.  Those  t Tocsin'  people  know  how 
good-natured  he  is,  that  he  '11  stand  what  most  men 
with  his  power  would  n't  and  give  way  in  little  things, 
and  of  course  they  '11  want  to  press  what  they  call  re 
forms  as  far  as  he  '11  let  'em ;  but  if  it  should  come  to 
a  fight,  a  peasant  would  as  soon  think  of  standing  up 
against  the  Czar  of  all  the  Russias.  That 's  where 


24  THE  STAND-BY 

they  are  n't  like  you.  It  '11  come  to  a  fight  if  you  go 
there,  and  he  '11  break  you  as  he  broke  the  railroad— 
that 's  why  I  say,  don't  go." 

"  Tom/7  inquired  Craigin,  pacing  the  floor,  and  writ 
ing  an  imaginary  letter  on  his  left  palm  with  the  fore 
finger  of  his  right  hand,  "  Tom,  how  does  this  sound  ? 

<HON.  HENRY  HAENETT. 

'  DEAR  SIR  :  Your  favor  is  just  received.  The  salary  is  more 
than  I  hoped  for  at  first,  and  the  position  highly  satisfactory ;  in 
fact,  I  expected  to  begin  as  a  reporter.  It  has  been  my  ambition 
to  be  connected  with  a  paper  that  has  positive  convictions  of 
right  and  wrong  and  the  courage  to  stand  by  them,  that  leads 
rather  than  follows,  and  represents  principles  rather  than  spoils. 
I  would,  therefore,  gladly  accept  your  offer  were  I  not  informed 
that  such  a  paper  might  offend  the  richest  and  most  influential 
man  in  your  city.  Under  the  circumstances,  I  think,  it  will  be 
safer  and  in  every  way  better  for  me  to  find  a  community  where 
I  can  edit  a  paper  of  high  moral  tone  and  positive  convictions 
without  offending  anybody.' 

Tom,  suppose  I  should  put  that  in  black  and  white 
and  send  it  to  Mr.  Harnett  ?  What  would  he  think  of 
me  ?  What  would  the  professor  who  has  written  to 
him  think  of  me  ? " 

"  They  M  despise  you,  of  course." 

"  Despise  me !  The  lowest  party  hack  would  despise 
me  as  a  coward  and  a  hypocrite.  Yet  it  's  only  putting 
your  suggestion  into  plain  English.  Tom,  the  first 
principle  of  honesty  is  honesty  with  one's  self.  I 
won't  act  on  motives  that  I  can't  put  in  black  and 
white  and  publish  to  the  world  without  shame." 

"  That 's  awfully  pretty  in  theory,"  observed  Tom. 

"  A  theory  does  n't  amount  to  Hannah  Cook,"  re- 


"DON'T  GO!"  25 

plied  Craigin,  "  if  it  is  n't  true,  if  it  won't  stand  the 
test  of  living  up  to." 

"  It  's  pretty  to  look  at  and  talk  about/7  continued 
Tom,  "  but  it  does  n't  wash  in  real  life.  If  you  ideal 
ists  could  agree,  and  were  as  brave  and  self-sacrificing 
as  you  talk,  there  's  nothing  you  could  n't  do ;  but 
you  're  the  only  one  of  'em  I  ever  saw,  if  you  thought 
it  a  duty  to  stand  on  a  railroad  track,  would  stay  there 
and  let  a  train  run  over  you.  I  '11  admit  it 's  sublime, 
though  to  common  people  like  me  it  looks  a  good  deal 
like  suicide." 

"Well?" 

"  Well,  Uncle  John 's  made  of  the  same  kind  of  stuff 
you  are,  only  he  has  n't  your  principles  and  would  n't 
be  handicapped  with  conscientious  scruples.  I  've  no 
doubt  some  of  the  l  Tocsin '  people  have  principles  as 
radical  as  yours,  and  if  they  feel  very  strong  and  brave 
maybe  they  '11  help  you  stir  up  the  old  lion  ;  but  when 
it  comes  to  the  crunching  of  bones  they  won't  be 
there." 

"  Crunching  of  bones !  Tom,  these  men,  for  the 
public  good  and  with  hardly  a  chance  of  profit,  have 
put  their  money  into  what 's  as  risky  as  a  gold-mine, 
and  they  offer  to  pay  me  more  than  they  can  afford  be 
cause  they  think  I  '11  stand  by  'em.  I  think  I  see  my 
self,  without  a  dollar  of  my  own  at  stake,  telling  'em 
between  the  lines  they  '11  run  away  when  it  comes  to  a 
crunching  of  bones  !  " 

For  the  first  time  in  all  their  long  comradeship 
Andrews  threw  his  arms  around  Craigin's  neck  and 
kissed  his  forehead.  "  Chum,"  he  cried  pathetically, 
"  you  know  how  proud  I  am  of  you.  We  all  are,  here. 


26  THE  STAND-BY 

We  all  know  that  you  will  be  a  famous  man,  a  great 
man,  a  useful  man,  if  you  don't  let  your  quixotic 
notions  of  duty  run  away  with  your  common  sense. 
We  7ve  been  like  brothers  for  seven  years,  chum,  and 
I  love  you  better  than  any  one  else  in  the  world  except 
my  mother,  and  next  to  you  I  love  Uncle  John.  As 
sure  as  you  go,  chum,  I  know  there  '11  misery  come  of 
it.  Don't  go !  " 

"  I  can't  promise  you  to-night,  old  man,"  said  Craigin, 
greatly  touched ;  "  I  must  sleep  on  it." 

"  I  know  just  how  it  '11  be,"  replied  Andrews,  sadly ; 
"  you  '11  sleep  on  it  all  right  enough,  and  think  it  all 
over,  and  the  more  chance  there  is  of  struggle  and  sac 
rifice  for  an  ideal,  the  more  you  '11  persuade  yourself 
it  ;s  your  duty.  I  know  it  is  n't  a  bit  of  use,  but  I 
can't  help  saying,  don't  go !  " 

Two  days  later  Craigin  packed  his  bag  and  started 
for  Apsleigh. 


LUCIFER 

accepted  the  position  at  a  salary  of 
two  thousand  dollars,  half  in  treasury  stock 
at  sixty  cents  on  the  dollar.  He  found 
that  Tom  had  not  exaggerated  Denman's 
power,  and  that  the  desire  to  maintain  a  paper  with 
positive  convictions  was  seasoned  with  a  reasonable  de 
gree  of  worldly  caution.  Some  of  the  stockholders  also 
seemed  to  be  influenced  quite  as  much  by  hostility  to 
the  "  Times  "  and  other  personal  motives  as  by  a  wish 
to  promote  the  public  good. 

In  talking  over  the  purpose  and  policy  of  the  paper, 
the  liquor  question  came  up. 

"  It  was  established/'  said  Mr.  Harnett,  "  to  represent 
the  best  wing  of  the  Republican  party.  It  is  n't  a 
temperance  organ  in  the  sense  that  the  *  Congrega- 
tionalist,'  for  example,  is  a  sectarian  organ,  though  of 
course  it 's  on  that  side." 

"I  'd  much  rather  it  would  be  as  it  is,"  replied 
Craigin.  "  I  could  n't  edit  a  paper  as  a  lawyer  pleads 
a  cause,  regardless  of  his  own  convictions.  I  believe 
in  prohibition  where  public  sentiment  will  sustain  it. 

27 


28  THE  STAND-BY 

I  can't  say  yet  that  I  believe  in  it  as  a  hard  and  fast  rule. 
I  have  n't  had  a  chance  to  think  it  out  for  myself." 

Craigin  was  charmed  with  Apsleigh.  As  Andrews 
had  said,  it  was  a  daisy.  On  the  afternoon  of  the 
second  day  he  saw  a  crowd  collecting  on  one  of  the 
principal  streets,  and  joined  it. 

"  He  's  a  beauty,  hain't  he  ? "  exclaimed  an  old  farmer. 

"  Harnsomest  colt  in  the  State,"  replied  a  flashy  man, 
with  the  positive  tone  of  self-made  authority. 

"  Too  much  of  the  old  man  in  him  for  a  hoss,"  said 
another. 

"'F  he  sets  up  his  Ebenezer  ag'in'  John  Denman 
there  '11  be  music,  let  me  tell  ye,"  prophesied  a  fourth. 

Craigin  gradually  worked  his  way  through  the  crowd 
to  the  front.  The  animal  referred  to  was  a  stallion  of 
price  and  pedigree,  large,  powerful,  spirited,  matchless 
in  form,  black  as  midnight,  beautiful  as  the  day.  His 
name  was  Lucifer,  which  being  interpreted  is  Son  of 
the  Morning.  It  was  evident  that  he  had  not  a  little 
of  the  waywardness  of  the  fallen  angel. 

Seated  in  a  light  buggy  was  a  man  quite  as  notice 
able  as  the  horse.  His  slouch-hat  was  tipped  back, 
revealing  a  massive  forehead.  His  deep-set  eyes  were 
keen  and  gray.  His  nose  was  sharp  His  mouth  was 
large,  but  well  formed,  and  beneath  his  thin  lips  were 
exceptionally  handsome  teeth.  His  chin  was  a  fine  and 
strongly  marked  feature.  His  head  and  his  thin,  al 
most  bloodless  face  were  covered  with  short,  grizzled 
hair.  His  frame  was  spare  and  considerably  above 
medium  height.  His  age  was  about  sixty.  He  wore 
no  driving-gloves,  and  was  carelessly  dressed  in  a  well- 
worn  suit  of  iron  gray. 


LUCIFEE  29 

The  colt's  proud  spirit  rebelled  under  the  process 
known  as  breaking.  He  had  stopped  short,  to  start 
again  only  at  his  own  royal  will  and  pleasure.  His 
master  sat  patiently  for  a  few  moments,  occasionally 
saying  "  Come/7  in  soft,  coaxing  tones.  After  speak 
ing  several  times  he  got  out  and,  still  holding  the  reins, 
made  a  pretense  of  adjusting  a  buckle  here  and  there, 
as  though  he  would  impress  on  the  animal  that  the  halt 
was  most  opportune.  Having  done  this,  he  gently 
stroked  and  patted  him,  fondled  his  head,  talked  to 
him,  and  fed  him  cubes  of  white  sugar.  Then  he  re 
turned  to  his  buggy  and  again  requested  him  to  move 
on.  This  operation  was  repeated  several  times  with 
out  effect.  "  Come  !  "  said  Denman,  for  the  twentieth 
time.  His  voice,  though  calm  and  low,  was  growing 
stern.  The  soft,  coaxing  tone  had  disappeared.  In 
its  place  was  an  ominous  ring,  becoming  more  and 
more  distinct.  Again  and  again  the  command  was 
repeated,  each  time  more  sternly  than  before.  There 
was  no  sign  of  obedience.  Craigin  wondered  at  the 
man's  self-control.  Most  men  with  a  balky  horse,  in 
the  most  public  street  of  a  city,  would  lose  patience 
much  sooner  j  yet  this  man  again  got  out,  again  ca 
ressed  and  fed  the  animal,  and  tried  to  lead  him. 

"  You  had  better  step  back,"  he  said  to  the  crowd, 
when  kindness  had  failed ;  "  you  had  better  step  back, 
or  some  one  may  get  hurt.  Stand  back !  n  he  repeated 
sharply ;  "  I  don't  want  any  one  hurt." 

He  kicked  the  robe  under  the  seat  and  braced  his 
feet.  His  fingers  tightened  round  the  lines  like  a  vise. 
There  was  a  dangerous  light  in  his  eyes.  Drawing  a 
tough,  heavyjwhip,  quick  and  sharp  as  a  flash  of  light- 


30  THE  STAND-BY 

ning  lie  struck  the  stallion  a  stinging  blow  on  the 
flank.  A  bloody  wale  followed  the  lash  and  left  a 
stain  on  the  velvety  coat.  The  powerful  animal  reared 
and  plunged ;  but  the  bit,  designed  for  such  occasions 
and  used  at  the  peril  of  breaking  his  jaw,  brought  him 
sharply  down.  Again  and  again,  keen  as  a  knife,  the 
terrible  lash  descended  upon  his  quivering  flanks,  criss 
crossing  them  with  bloody  wales.  The  brute  reared, 
backed,  plunged  from  side  to  side  ;  the  man  held  him 
calmly  and  with  consummate  skill,  all  the  while  pun 
ishing  him  with  relentless  severity.  At  length,  as  the 
animal  backed  suddenly  and  still  more  violently,  the 
wheel  cramped  and  the  buggy  was  upset.  Denman 
lighted  on  his  feet  with  the  adroitness  of  a  cat  j  but  as 
he  did  so  one  of  the  wheels  struck  his  leg  between  ankle 
and  knee,  laying  bare  the  bone  for  several  inches. 

A  groan  went  up  from  the  crowd  as  they  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  mangled  and  bloody  limb  beneath  the 
torn  garment  that  covered  it;  but,  beyond  a  single 
oath,  Denman  uttered  no  cry.  He  sprang  to  the  stal 
lion's  head  and  seized  the  bit  with  an  iron  grip.  The 
muscles  in  his  long,  lean  hands  stood  out  like  cords 
of  steel.  The  brute  reared  and  plunged,  fought  with 
feet  and  jaws.  His  master  hung  to  him  like  death. 
Several  of  the  boldest  of  the  spectators,  Craigin  among 
them,  rushed  forward,  and  the  stubborn  creature,  held 
down  by  many  hands,  took  the  punishment  that  fol 
lowed  without  sign  of  yielding. 

"  It 's  no  good  licking  a  balky  horse,"  said  Denman, 
at  length.  "  Bring  that  straw,"  pointing  to  a  crate  of 
crockery  that  had  just  been  opened;  "we  '11  see  what 
fire  '11  do." 


LUCIFER  31 

The  straw  was  piled  under  the  stallion's  belly,  and 
lighted.  Fire  did  not  conquer  him.  He  started  back 
with  a  snort  of  rage,  dragging  the  men  after  him, 
crushing  the  buggy  like  an  egg-shell  against  a  stone 
post,  nearly  catching  a  bystander  in  that  grim  trap. 
Thus  brought  to  a  standstill,  he  reared  to  his  full 
height,  tearing  himself  loose  even  from  Denman's 
grip,  and  struck  at  his  master's  head  with  both  fore 
feet.  The  multitude's  cry  of  horror  was  too  tardy  a 
warning.  In  another  instant  Denman's  career  would 
have  been  ended,  but  as  the  iron  hoofs  descended  a 
human  body  hurled  itself  against  him  like  a  thun 
derbolt,  dashing  him  to  the  ground  just  out  of  harm's 
way. 

He  sprang  up  instantly  and  seized  the  bit.  The 
fire  had  been  scattered,  and  with  the  help  of  ready 
hands  the  horse  was  held. 

"  Mike,"  he  said,  "  get  the  grays  and  a  long  chain." 

In  a  few  moments  the  grays,  harnessed  to  a  beer 
cart,  were  driven  up.  One  end  of  the  chain  was  at 
tached  to  the  rear  axle  of  the  cart,  and  the  other  was 
secured  around  the  colt's  neck. 

Denman  turned  and  grasped  the  hand  of  a  stranger. 
"  I  owe  you  my  life,"  he  said. 

Then  he  addressed  himself  once  more  to  Mike,  the 
driver.  "  Start  up  a  little— easy !  "  His  forbearance 
was  not  yet  wholly  exhausted. 

The  chain  was  stretched  taut.  The  colt  lay  back 
on  his  haunches  and  pulled  with  all  his  strength. 

"  Come !  get  up !  "  cried  Denman,  lashing  him  with 
the  whip. 

The  infuriated  animal  plunged  forward,  made  a 


32  THE  STAND-BY 

vicious  attempt  to  bite,  and  then,  rearing,  struck  at 
his  master  for  the  second  time  with  both  fore  feet. 

"  Mike,"  exclaimed  the  latter,  springing  back,  "  start 
those  horses  d— d  sharp ! " 

Mike  obeyed.  There  was  a  desperate  plunge,  a 
violent  struggle,  a  crackling  sound,  a  groan,  a  heavy 
fall.  The  stallion  was  dead.  His  neck  was  broken. 

"  Where  's  the  man  who  saved  my  life  ? "  inquired 
Denman,  when  the  tragedy  was  over. 

He  had  disappeared,  and  no  one  in  the  crowd  knew 
who  he  was. 


VI 

"THE  PRESENTIMENT  is  FALSE" 


next  morning,  as  Craigin  approached 
the  railway  station,  he  saw  the  man  whose 
life  he  had  saved,  and  the  girl  he  had  met 
4^  at  the  great  regatta. 
"Here  he  is,"  cried  Denman,  springing  from  his 
carriage  regardless  of  a  bandaged  leg,  and  hastening 
to  meet  him. 

"  I  hope  you  were  n't  hurt,"  he  said,  observing  large 
rents  in  the  young  man's  clothes,  carefully  pinned  to 
gether. 

"  Not  to  speak  of,  only  a  little  cut  on  my  hip,"  was 
the  reply. 

"You  put  your  life  in  place  of  mine,"  continued 

Denman.     "  It  was  a  great  deal  closer  shave  for  you 

than  for  me.     You  're  not  going  on  this  train  ?    I 

want  you  to  come  and  see  us  ;  I  want  to  know  you, 

and  I  have  n't  even  learned  your  name.    Ah  !  "  glanc 

ing  at  the  card  given  him,  "Isabel,—  you  've  met  Isa 

bel,—  Isabel,  he  's  Tom's  chum;  he  's  the  Stand-by  !  " 

Isabel's  words  of  thanks  were  few  and  simple.    Her 

tone  and  eyes  thanked  him  most,  and  told  him  that 

3  33 


34  THE  STAND-BY 

she  cherished  the  life  he  had  saved  immeasurably  above 
her  own. 

In  personal  appearance  he  was  quite  different  from 
the  Craigin  she  had  seen  the  year  before.  He  had 
recovered  the  flesh  trained  off  for  the  great  race  and 
was  no  longer  a  gaunt  mass  of  bone  and  muscle.  A 
heavy  growth  of  chestnut  hair,  short  but  curly,  adorned 
the  head  that  had  been  submitted  to  the  barber's 
clippers.  Tan  and  freckles  had  disappeared,  and  the 
complexion  was  a  clear,  rich  blond.  The  black  circles 
under  the  eyes  were,  of  course,  gone.  The  husky  voice 
had  become  clear  and  musical  as  a  silver  bell.  He 
was  dressed  in  a  fashionably  cut  and  very  becoming 
suit  of  Scotch  tweed,  with  necktie  to  match.  The 
care  which  he  evidently  bestowed  on  such  matters 
made  the  torn  coat  and  trousers  the  more  noticeable 
badges  of  honor,  appealing  to  the  girl's  heart  as 
scarcely  anything  else  could  have  done. 

"Mr.  Craigin,  won't  you  stop  over  a  few  days?" 
pressed  Denman.  "  Won't  you  ?  Can't  you  ? " 

"Not  now,"  replied  Craigin,  thanking  him.  "I 
must  go  to  Boston  on  this  train,  and  from  there  home  ; 
but  I  'm  coming  back  in  a  month— I  'm  coming  here 
to  live." 

"Ah!" 

There  was  a  slight  contraction  of  the  eyebrows,  that 
passed  like  a  flash  of  light.  Craigin  saw  it,  but  did 
not  think  of  it  till  afterward.  There  was  no  awk 
wardness  in  the  exclamation,  unf  ollowed  by  comment, 
for  Denman  was  engaged  in  assisting  Isabel  from  the 
carriage  and  in  taking  out  a  traveling-bag  and  other 
small  articles. 


"THE  PRESENTIMENT  IS  FALSE"  35 

"  Here  's  the  train,"  he  said  to  her,  "  and  here  's  Tim 
with  the  checks.  My  daughter  starts  for  Newport 
this  morning,  Mr.  Craigin,  to  spend  a  few  weeks  with 
the  Cliffords." 

As  the  train  rumbled  into  the  station,  Denman,  with 
a  good  deal  of  a  limp,  led  the  way  to  a  parlor-car. 
When  the  chairs  were  taken  he  gave  his  daughter 
hearty  kisses  and  pressed  a  roll  of  bank-bills  into  her 
hand. 

"  Good-by,  Isabel !  n  he  said ;  "  write  every  day. 
Good-by,  little  girl !  " 

She  twined  her  arms  around  his  neck  and  returned 
his  kisses  with  interest. 

"  You  know  you  're  lame,  papa,"  she  said,  "  and  you 
must  n't  wait  till  the  train  starts.  Good-by,  papa !  " 

Denman  kissed  her  again,  gave  Craigin  a  cordial 
hand-shake,  and  limped  out.  It  was  touching  to  see 
the  love  that  shone  in  his  eyes  as  he  stood  by  the 
track  looking  at  her;  and  there  was  the  same  light 
in  her  eyes  as  she  sat  watching  him  till  the  cars  left 
the  station. 

"  Papa  hates  to  have  me  leave  him  so,"  she  said  at 
last,  turning  to  Craigin,  "  that  it  seems  almost  wicked 
for  me  to  go  away ;  but  he  won't  let  me  stay  at  home." 

As  this  extraordinary  statement  did  not  seem  to 
imply  any  family  unpleasantness,  Craigin  promptly 
inquired,  "Why  not!" 

"  He  says  he  won't  let  me  sacrifice  my  happiness  to 
his— as  if  the  happiest  times  I  ever  had  were  n't  with 
papa!  You  can't  imagine  how  good  he  has  always 
been  to  me.  As  long  ago  as  I  can  remember  he  used 
to  romp  with  me  every  evening,  and  then  tell  me 


36  THE  STAND-BY 

stories  till  I  went  to  sleep.  As  I  grew  older  he  gave 
me  an  hour  every  night,  and  we  used  to  read  fairy 
tales  and  natural-history  books  together  just  like  two 
children.  I  Ve  grown  up  with  papa.  Even  when  he 
was  putting  his  lif e  into  the  railroad  fight,  as  you  did 
into  the  great  race,  he  never  was  too  busy  or  too  anx 
ious  to  give  an  hour  to  his  little  girl— that 's  what  he 
always  calls  me ;  I  shall  be  his  little  girl  as  long  as  we 
live.  He  never  spoke  an  angry  word  to  me  in  his  life. 

"I  want  to  show  you  something/7  she  continued, 
opening  her  traveling-bag.  "  There !  "  she  exclaimed, 
producing  a  rich  case  lined  with  white  satin.  "  Think 
of  giving  those  to  a  girl  of  eighteen  for  a  birthday 
present ! " 

Craigin  took  the  open  case  from  the  daintily  gloved 
hand.  It  contained  a  pair  of  diamond  ear-drops  and 
a  diamond  brooch.  They  were  too  large  and  costly— 
if  diamonds  are  permitted  to  a  young  girl— to  escape 
the  social  law  which  limits  such  display  before  mar 
riage.  Without  a  flaw,  limpid  as  water,  brilliant  as 
stars,  how  they  would  flash  from  those  perfect  ears 
and  on  that  swelling  throat ! 

"  I  know  girls  don't  wear  such  diamonds  as  those," 
she  said ;  "  but  I  shall,  for  papa  chose  them.  It  is  n't 
the  diamonds  I  care  for,— though  I  do  like  diamonds, 
—it  ?s  the  love  that  made  him  do  it." 

Why  had  she  shown  them  ?  Surely  not  from  vanity ; 
she  was  proud,  not  vain.  Neither  was  she  a  girl  to 
wear  her  heart  upon  her  sleeve  and  babble  of  sacred 
things  to  strangers.  Her  life  was  in  her  father,  but 
it  was  not  like  her  to  proclaim  it ;  she  was  not  in  the 
habit  of  trumpeting  his  praise.  He  was  John  Den- 


"THE  PRESENTIMENT  IS  FALSE"  37 

man,  and  well  she  knew  that  modesty  is  the  jewel  of 
worth.  Why,  then,  the  second  time  she  met  him,  did 
she  tell  Craigin  what  she  would  not  have  told  another  f 
Was  it  because  she  regarded  him  as  a  man  apart  from 
and  above  other  men?  Was  it  because  she  dimly 
foresaw  a  war  of  giants  and  an  agonizing  struggle 
with  her  own  heart  ? 

Beautiful  things  appealed  strongly  to  the  young 
man,  and  the  admiration  he  expressed  for  the  gems 
showed  that  he  knew  a  good  deal  about  their  fine 
points. 

"  Your  father  said  you  were  going  to  stay  at  New 
port  with  the  Cliffords,"  he  remarked  on  returning 
the  diamonds. 

"Yes;  Alice  was  my  chum  and  classmate  at  Lake 
Crescent.  We  graduated  together  two  weeks  ago. 
That  's  why  1 'm  on  such  intimate  terms  with  them ; 
and  then,  Senator  Clifford  was  one  of  papa's  lawyers 
in  the  railroad  fight." 

"  I  see  by  the  papers  that  his  doctors  have  ordered 
him  to  go  abroad  this  fall,  and  that  he  11  take  his 
family  with  him." 

"  Yes ;  and  they  've  given  me  the  most  pressing  in 
vitation  to  go  with  them." 

"  Are  you  going  ? " 

"  I  don't  know.  I  don't  want  to  leave  papa,  but  he 
wants  me  to  go.  He  says  it 's  an  opportunity  of  a  life 
time  to  go  with  the  Cliffords." 

"  An  opportunity  to  hobnob  with  royalty  ? " 

"  Well,  the  doors  of  palaces  swing  open  to  Senator 
Clifford.  He  's  a  famous  man." 

"Of  course.  He  has  a  European  reputation.  You've 


38  THE  STAND-BY 

been  abroad  once,  I  know,  for  1 've  heard  Tom  speak 
of  it." 

"  I  went  with  papa  when  I  was  twelve  years  old.  I 
have  n't  been  since  then." 

"  A  party  of  two  f " 

"  Mama  was  with  us." 

She  had  been  rolling  the  word  "  papa  "  like  a  sweet 
morsel  under  her  tongue,  had  frankly  shown  that  he 
was  her  glory  and  her  idol,  and  her  only  mention  of 
her  mother  had  been  the  incidental  remark,  "Mama 
was  with  us."  It  shed  a  flood  of  light  on  the  Denman 
household,  and  she  saw  that  Craigin  had  caught  its  full 
significance.  It  could  not  be  helped,  and  she  quickly 
turned  the  conversation  to  Apsleigh,  in  the  course  of 
which  she  referred  to  her  companion's  engagement 
with  the  "  Tocsin." 

"Why,  how  did  you  know  that?"  he  exclaimed. 
"  It  is  n't  out  yet.  It  was  n't  settled  till  yesterday 
afternoon." 

"  I  knew  it  as  soon  as  you  said  you  were  going  to  live 
in  Apsleigh.  So  did  papa ;  I  saw  it  in  his  eyebrows." 

"  I  can't  imagine  how  you  knew." 

"As  easy  as  one  and  one  and  one  and  one  make 
four— just  putting  four  things  together.  Tom  said 
you  were  going  to  be  an  editor;  you  said  you  were 
going  to  live  in  Apsleigh ;  I  know  what  kind  of  a  man 
you  are ;  and  I  know  the  other  papers  would  n't  have 
you  if  you  'd  work  for  nothing." 

"So  Tom  has  been  talking  about  me?" 

"  Yes ;  he  said  if  you  thought  a  course  was  right 
you  'd  follow  it  straight  to  death  and  never  flinch  a 
hair." 


"THE  PRESENTIMENT  IS  FALSE"  39 

"  But  lie  does  n't  know ;  I  've  never  been  tried." 

"  He  said  lots  of  other  things  about  you." 

"  Tom  's  a  partial  witness.  He  thinks  a  great  deal 
more  of  me  than  I  deserve." 

"  What  he  said  is  true." 

"  You  can't  know  that ;  you  've  never  seen  me  but 
twice." 

"I  do  know  it,  not  because  Tom  says  so,  for  I 
would  n't  take  his  judgment  altogether  where  he  likes 
any  one  as  much  as  he  does  you ;  I  know  it  myself." 

"How?" 

"You  've  studied  Latin  and  Greek  and  conic  sec 
tions  and  Porter's  Psychology,  have  n't  you  ?  "  she  in 
quired,  with  what  appeared  to  be  an  abrupt  change  of 
subject. 

"  I  've  tried  to  j  I  don't  know  much  about  them." 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  them.  I  don't  know 
anything  in  a  scholar's  way  of  knowing  things.  There 's 
just  one  thing  I  can  do  well :  I  can  read  people.  Now 
and  then  I  have  to  read  them  bit  by  bit,  as  you  would 
pick  out  hard  Latin  and  Greek,  and  puzzle  over  them  as 
you  would  puzzle  over  mathematics  and  psychology ; 
but  I  can  read  most  people  as  easily  as  plain,  every-day 
English." 

"  I  've  often  heard  Tom  speak  of  it.  It 's  a  wonder 
ful  gift.  How  do  you  do  it  T  " 

"  I  don't  know.  I  suppose  I  take  it  from  papa.  He 's 
got  more  brains  in  his  little  finger  than  I  have  in  my 
whole  head.  I  can  read  people  better  than  he  can,  but 
he  reads  them  better  than  any  other  man  I  ever  saw. 
At  times  he  's  had  a  lot  of  money  to  invest,  and  men 
from  far  away  have  come  to  get  him  into  their  enter- 


40  THE  STAND-BY 

prises.  As  long  ago  as  when  I  was  a  little  girl  eight 
or  ten  years  old,  he  used  to  bring  them  to  the  house, 
and  hold  me  on  his  knee  while  they  talked  over  their 
wine  and  cigars.  I  did  n't  understand  anything  about 
the  business,  but  I  could  tell  whether  they  were  hon 
est  or  not." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  he  put  the  judgment  of  a  girl 
eight  years  old  before  Bradstreet,  and  letters  of  intro 
duction,  and  lifelong  business  reputations  ? " 

"That  's  what  he  did.  Seems  incredible  to  you, 
does  n't  it  ?  But  I  told  him  right.  It 's  helped  him 
so  and  pleased  him  so,  I  Ve  made  the  cultivation  of 
my  one  gift  the  work  of  my  life." 

"  Until  you  can  read  men  like  printed  pages  ? " 

"  It  does  n't  seem  to  me  any  more  wonderful,  only 
it  is  n't  so  common.  The  letters  of  the  alphabet  tell 
you  all  sorts  of  things  and  play  on  all  your  feelings  j 
and  you  ?re  so  familiar  with  them  you  're  not  con 
scious  of  noticing  them,  only  the  ideas  they  stand  for, 
are  you  ?  If  you  'd  never  heard  of  a  book  you  'd  say 
it  was  impossible,  would  n't  you  ? " 

"Yes;  but  men  have  invented  the  alphabet,  and 
any  one  can  learn  how  to  use  it." 

"  And  God  has  put  an  alphabet  in  every  man's  face. 
If  you  had  a  wicked  scheme  in  your  heart  you  could  n't 
look  me  in  the  eyes  without  my  knowing  it." 

"  Do  you  mean  me  in  particular,  or  anybody  ? " 

"  Well,  I  confess  that  was  rather  personal.  A  man 
came  to  Apsleigh  a  couple  of  years  ago  with  a  mining 
scheme.  His  references  and  the  reports  of  experts 
and  all  were  first-class.  Papa  investigated  it  as  care 
fully  as  he  could,  and  told  me  afterward  it  looked  to 


"THE  PRESENTIMENT  IS  FALSE"  41 

him  like  a  straight  proposition  and  as  if  there  were 
an  awful  pile  of  money  in  it.  I  was  at  school,  and  he 
wired  for  me  to  come  home.  We  had  a  big  dinner. 
Of  course  I  was  the  mining  man's  partner.  I  made 
myself  as  agreeable  to  him  as  I  could  for  four  hours, 
and  worked  the  hardest  I  ever  did  in  my  life.  He 
was  one  of  the  smartest  men  I  ever  met,  and  his  face 
was  the  completest  mask  I  ever  saw.  I  don't  believe 
I  could  have  read  it  if  I  had  n't  made  him  drink  so 
much  champagne.  The  scheme  turned  out  a  gigantic 
fraud.  Papa  said  he  'd  have  lost  hundreds  of  thou 
sands  of  dollars  if  he  'd  gone  in,  and  would  n't  have 
had  his  name  linked  with  it  for  millions,  and  that  I  'd 
saved  him." 

"  It  was  hard  to  read  that  man  ? " 

"  Hard  as  conic  sections." 

"  And  easy  to  read  me  ? " 

"Easy  as  a-b-c.  I  'm  going  to  say  an  awfully 
frank,  unconventional  thing :  I  'm  sorry  you  're  going 
to  edit  the  '  Tocsin.7  I  'm  almost  sorry  you  're  coming 
to  Apsleigh." 

"Why?" 

"  Because  you  're  like  papa  in  so  many  ways,  and  so 
different  in— in  what  you  call  principles." 

"  I  don't  like  his  business,  if  that 's  what  you  mean," 
said  Craigin,  bluntly,  almost  brutally. 

"  I  don't  know  as  that 's  any  worse  than  what  I  said 
to  you,"  replied  Isabel.  "  Hundreds  of  people  in  Aps 
leigh  don't  like  papa's  business,  but  they  don't  dare 
say  so  to  him  or  to  me.  If  you  were  like  them  I  should 
despise  you." 

Then  they  changed  the  conversation  to  less  personal 


42  THE   STAND-BY 

matters.  When  two  young  people  of  opposite  sex  are 
pleased  with  each  other  there  are  always  plenty  of 
things  to  talk  about.  So  it  was  with  the  Stand-by  and 
this  strong,  brilliant,  unconventional  girl.  There  was 
Apsleigh,  of  which  Craigin  wanted  to  learn  every 
thing,  college  life,  about  which  Isabel  was  inquisitive, 
boarding-school  reminiscences  interesting  to  both, 
athletics,  Newport— a  thousand  and  one  things,  little 
and  big,  that  came  and  went,  glittered  and  vanished, 
like  the  ever- varying  forms  of  a  kaleidoscope.  "Was 
it  incipient  love,  or  merely  the  buoyant  spirits  of 
youth,  that  irradiated  even  the  most  trivial  subjects  ? 
Before  they  were  aware  they  reached  the  junction 
where  both  were  to  change  cars.  They  walked  up 
and  down  the  platform  together  till  Isabel's  train 
came,  and  then  parted  like  old  friends. 

Plain,  honest  speech  and  unconventional  ways  be 
came  the  princess  of  Apsleigh  and  added  greatly  to 
her  charms.  Princess  she  was  by  the  divine  right  of 
beauty  and  indescribable  grace.  As  Craigin  walked 
the  platform  waiting  for  his  own  train,  he  found  him 
self  repeating  the  familiar  lines,  "  Et  vera  incessu  pa- 
tuit  dea." 

When  once  more  on  his  journey  he  sat  absorbed  in 
his  own  reflections,  scarcely  realizing  the  direction 
they  were  taking  or  the  consequences  they  might  in 
volve.  "  If  she  ever  loves,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  it  will 
be  a  strong  man,— strong  like  her  father,— and  if  she 
loves,  it  will  be  with  her  whole  soul."  Before  he  knew 
it  he  was  dreaming  dreams,  and  awoke  with  a  pain  in 
his  heart. 

Without  affectation,  neither  bold  nor  shy,  and  grate- 


"THE  PEESENTIMENT  IS  FALSE"  43 

ful  for  the  service  rendered  her  father,  the  girl  had  at 
once,  to  all  appearances,  put  the  young  man  on  the 
footing  most  remote  from  that  of  a  prospective  lover— 
the  footing  of  good  comradeship. 

What  were  her  thoughts  as  she  sat  gazing  out  the 
window,  unmindful  of  the  admiration  she  attracted? 
"  I  wonder  if  he  knows  as  much  about  most  things  as 
he  does  about  diamonds?  He  sees  and  reads  more 
than  he  studies,  and  remembers  everything.  I  never 
saw  a  wrist  like  that  before,  and  his  hand  is  smaller 
than  papa's.  Papa  and  I  used  to  read  in  the  natural- 
history  book  that  the  gorilla's  arms  are  so  long  and 
muscular,  and  his  chest  and  shoulders  so  huge,  that 
they  make  him  look  deformed,  and  give  him  strength 
to  strangle  a  lion  or  twist  a  gun-barrel  like  a  wisp  of 
hay.  Mr.  Craigin  is  almost  like  a  gorilla,  only  it  's 
strength  without  deformity.  His  smile  is  the  most 
charming  I  ever  saw,  because  it  comes  straight  from 
the  heart.  He  's  very  distinguished-looking— any 
amount  of  brains  j  a  noble,  tender  heart,  and  a  will 
like  papa's.  I  wonder  if  I  shall  meet  a  young  million 
aire  at  Newport  that  >s  fit  to  tie  his  shoes  ?  If  the  vis 
count  were  only  like  him  !  And  yet— no  !  it  can't  be 
true  !  I  won't  believe  it !  He  saved  papa's  life— the 
presentiment  is  false !  " 


VII 

THE   BEGINNING 

BEFORE  he  had  been  in  Apsleigh  a  month 
Craigin  wrote  a  conservative  editorial  on 
the  liquor  question.     One  evening  shortly 
afterward  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door 
of  his  sanctum. 
"  Come  in,"  he  said. 
A  big,  burly  man  entered. 
"Be  you  the  new  editor?"  he  inquired. 
"  Yes,  sir.     What  can  I  do  for  you  ?  " 
The  tone  was  so  hearty  and  the  face  so  pleasant 
that  the  stranger  immediately  extended  a  huge,  toil- 
hardened  palm,  and  exclaimed,  "N-you  kin  let  me  shake 
yer  hand !  7nd  you  kin  print  this  'ere  in  yer  paper ! " 
producing  a  business  card. 

"Mr.  Jones?"  said  Craigin,  glancing  at  the  card, 
and  cordially  taking  the  proffered  hand. 

"  N-yaas ;  John  Rogers  Jones,  blacksmith,  52  Gar 
land  street— that  's  me ;  n-I  expec'  I  wos  named  fer 
the  man  which  died  with  his  feet  warm.  N-I  read  that 
piece  o'  yourn,  'nd  I  sez  ter  my  ole  woman, l  Maria/  sez 
I,  '  1 7d  oughter  put  my  sign  inter  that  'ere  "  Tocsin  " 
newspaper.7  'Nd  here  I  be  a-purpus.  Haow  much  ?  " 

44 


THE  BEGINNING  45 

"  Usual  space  for  a  year  ?    Twenty  dollars." 

"  N-I  'in  presedunt  of  the  Temp'rance  Reform  Club," 
continued  Jones,  taking  a  twenty-dollar  bill  from  a  fat 
pocket-book,  "  'nd  I  thaot  pYaps  you  7d  make  us  er 
leetle  speech." 

"  A  little  speech?" 

"N-yaas.  N-I  hain't  a-goin'  ter  tease  yer,  'cos  I 
know  you  '11  gin  us  a  lift  anyhaow.  N-I  tole  Maria, 
1  Maria/  sez  I,  '  he  '11  make  us  er  darn  good  speech  et 
the  public  meetin',  'nd  good  speeches  is  source  es  hen's 
teeth.'" 

"  1 7ve  heard  of  the  club,"  said  Craigin,  filling  out  a 
receipt,  "  but  I  don't  know  as  much  about  it  as  I  'd 
like  to." 

"  N-I  '11  tell  you,"  said  Jones,  pocketing  the  receipt 
and  fishing  out  a  brier- wood  pipe.  "  D'  you  mind 
smokin'  ?  " 

"Smoke  all  you  want  to,"  replied  Craigin,  handing 
him  some  matches. 

"N-it  makes  it  kinder  easier  ter  talk.  N-eight  er 
ten  year  back,  afore  I  cum  ter  taown,  one  o'  the  par 
sons,  he  'nd  three  er  four  more  hot-headed  fellers,  they 
went  ter  prosecutin',  'nd  some  o'  the  rummies  they  sot 
the  meetin'-haouse  a-fire.  N-that  made  folks  pooty 
r'arin'.  But  Denman  he  drawed  his  check  fer  five 
thousan',  'nd  went  raound  'mongst  the  likker  men  'nd 
sez,  sez  he,  l  'F  you  don't  help  undo  what  some  cussid 
fools  've  bin  doin',  't  will  be  laid  ter  the  trade,  the  whole 
on  't.'  'Nd  so  he  got  five  thousan'  outer  ;m.  N-he 
got  fifteen  thousan'  in  all,  'nd  it  built  a  new  meetin'- 
haouse,  'nd  took  the  cuss  all  off,  7nd  thare  was  n't  er 
yap  till  Jorden  'nd  Phelps  cum  two  year  ago.  N-they 


46  THE  STAND-BY 

stuck  ter  what  they  called  morel  suashun,  'nd  kep'  the 
pot  a-b'ilin'  two  or  three  weeks.  N-I 7d  jus'  cum  ter 
taown,  'cos  I  could  n't  git  trusted  no  more  whare  I 
wos  known  j  n-we  wos  awful  poor.  N-I  chawed  on  ;t 
er  consid'able  spell,  'nd  then  I  sez,  <•  Maria/  sez  I,  <I 
hain't  goin'  ter  drink  no  more,  never'— n-I  hain't, 
nuther  ;  n-thare  hain't  no  children  cryin'  f er  bread  ter 
our  haouse  naow,  'nd  I  've  got  er  good  business,  'nd 
my  debts  is  paid  'nd  munny  in  the  bank.  N-well,  's  I 
wos  sayin',  Jorden  'nd  Phelps  they  got  up  er  reform 
club,  'nd  raised  er  pile  o'  munny,  'nd  put  Dekin  Follett 
et  the  head  on  't.  N-dekin  he  would  n't  spen'  er  cent, 
'nd  wanted  ter  have  six  prayer-meetin's  er  week,— 
nothin'  he  likes  s'  well 's  prayer-meetin's,  'cep'  figgerin' 
int'res',— 'nd  the  club  it  most  petered  out.  N-wall,  the 
riffraff,  's  you  might  call  'em,  they  put  up  er  job  on 
the  ole  man  'nd  'lected  Jake  Barrus,  'nd  Jake  he  wos 
er  blasphemin',  Tom  Paine  critter,— wus  'n  the  dekin, 
only  t'  other  way,— 'nd  he  got  'em  all  sick  on  't,  'nd 
fooled  away  the  munny,  'nd  run  the  club  inter  debt. 
'Nd  then  they  put  in  me.  N-I  did  n't  want  it,  'cos  I 
growed  up  'n  the  backwoods  'nd  did  n't  know  enough ; 
but  I  've  kinder  split  the  diff'rence  betwixt  dekin  'nd 
Jake.  N-anyhaow,  the  debts  is  paid  'nd  the  terbarker- 
juice  is  cleaned  up.  Naow  we  're  goin'  ter  have  public 
meetin's  once  'n  er  while,  'nd  I  've  kinder  sot  on  you 
fer  the  fust  one." 

"I  can't  promise  without  thinking  it  over,"  said 
Craigin. 

When  his  visitor  departed,  he  paced  the  floor  a  long 
time  thinking  it  over.  He  was  beginning  to  realize 
that,  for  happiness  or  misery,  Isabel  Denman  was  all 


THE  BEGINNING  47 

the  world  to  him.  It  was  plain  that  she  liked  him. 
Where  was  the  impassable  barrier?  He  could  not 
honestly  escape  voicing  the  principles  of  his  paper- 
even  Denman  would  expect  it;  but  to  make  public 
speeches  was  beyond  his  professional  duty  and  the 
beginning  of  more  aggressive  work.  Besides,  his  ideas 
in  regard  to  methods  were  not  settled.  Why  not 
pause  to  think  and  study?  Why  hastily  antagonize 
the  Denmans  ?  Was  it  a  sacrifice  of  principle  to  with 
hold  his  feet  from  this  first  step?  Love  cried,  "No, 
no,  no !  "  He  tried  to  reason,  and  in  the  agony  of  his 
spirit  reason  seemed  to  mock  him.  Then,  above  the 
conflict  in  his  soul,  he  thought  he  heard  a  still,  small 
voice  saying,  "  Yes."  Kneeling  on  the  office  floor,  he 
swore :  "  I  '11  live  and  die  doing  what  I  believe  is  right, 
no  matter  what  it  costs,  so  help  me  God !  "  Instantly 
there  streamed  into  his  soul  a  flood  of  light  that  seemed 
to  come  from  heaven.  "  It  is  my  only  chance !  "  he 
exclaimed.  "  She  reads  hearts,  and  if  I  sacrifice  my 
sense  of  duty  for  her,  she  '11  know  it  and  despise  me." 

When  it  was  known  that  Craigin  was  to  speak,  peo 
ple—one  at  a  time,  fifteen  or  twenty  in  all— gave  him 
hints  as  to  what  he  should  n't  say.  Last  of  all  came 
Deacon  Follett  also. 

"  I  hope  you  won't  say  anything  about  the  law,"  he 
remarked,  rubbing  his  lean  chin.  "It  was  kind  of 
understood  when  the  club  was  organized.  Most  of 
the  liquor-dealers  gave  something.  Mr.  Denman  gave 
five  hundred  dollars." 

"  As  a  sop  ? " 

"N-no— not  that— exactly ;  but,  you  see,  our  people 
are— conservative.  It— won't  do." 


48  THE  STAND-BY 

"  Won't  do !  "  exclaimed  Craigin,  with  a  feeling  that 
savored  of  contempt.  "  Won't  do  in  free  New  England 
to  speak  of  existing  laws !  Deacon  Follett,  we  don't 
live  in  Russia." 

"No;  but,  you  see,  our  people  are  conservative— 
and  Mr.  Denman  gave  five  hundred  dollars." 

"  The  law  makes  liquor-selling  a  crime,  and  provides 
heavy  penalties  for  officials  who  do  not  enforce  it," 
said  Craigin,  at  the  close  of  the  interview.  "  Whisky 
is  sold  as  openly  as  flour  is.  No  Republican  can 
advocate  a  repeal  of  the  law  without  sacrificing  his 
political  future ;  no  man  of  any  party  can  try  to  have 
it  enforced  without  being  regarded  as  a  common  nui 
sance,  a  disturber  of  the  public  peace.  It  's  a  queer 
state  of  things.  I  won't  say  a  word  about  it  to-night, 
Deacon  Follett.  I  want  time  to  study  it  out." 

"  Young  blood  's  so  hot,"  muttered  the  old  usurer, 
as  he  walked  away.  "  I  was  afraid  he  'd  make  a  mess 
of  it ;  but  he  takes  good  advice  like  plum-puddin'." 

Craigin's  boating  record  was  well  known,  his  ad 
venture  with  the  horse  made  him  noted,  and  his  edi 
torials  had  attracted  much  attention.  It  was  already 
recognized  that  a  strong  man  had  come  to  Apsleigh. 
Most  of  all,  however,  he  was  talked  about  in  connec 
tion  with  the  Denmans.  Everybody  was  curious  to 
hear  him.  The  hall  was  filled  to  overflowing.  His 
stage-fright  disappeared  after  the  first  sentences. 
Words  came  as  water  flows  when  the  fountains  of  the 
great  deep  are  broken  up.  Back  of  words  were  ideas, 
facts,  figures,  arguments,  conclusions.  The  lesson 
pressed  home  was  eradication  of  drinking  tastes  by 
cultivating  higher  tastes  and  a  nobler  life,  making 


THE  BEGINNING  49 

the  club  a  reform  club  in  a  broader  sense  than  had 
ever  been  contemplated. 

He  knew  that  he  spoke  none  the  worse  because  Isa 
bel's  eyes  looked  up  into  his  from  the  crowded  hall. 
In  his  dreams  that  night  she  stood  beside  him.  He 
stretched  forth  his  arms.  An  impassable  gulf  opened 
between  them,  widening,  widening,  ever  widening. 
She  vanished  forever  as  two  mighty  hosts  closed  in 
horrible  battle.  He  was  leading  one,  her  father  the 
other. 

Craigin's  speech  was  an  event.  From  that  time  he 
was  the  real  head  of  the  Reform  Club.  Harmony  was 
restored,  the  rooms  were  made  attractive,  private 
meetings  became  informal  and  pleasant,  and  now  and 
then  an  evening  was  given  to  simple  entertainments, 
ending  with  good  things  to  eat.  Under  the  old  order 
members  were  expected  to  abstain  from  whisky,  under 
the  new  to  live  clean  lives,  be  honest,  pay  their  debts 
if  they  could.  As  the  months  went  by  Craigin  shaped 
and  molded  the  club  more  and  more  according  to  the 
outlines  he  had  traced.  He  drew  to  himself  two  or 
three  hundred  people  of  the  class  it  was  designed  to 
benefit,  lifting  them  to  purer  lives  and  nobler  aspira 
tions.  Among  them  were  women  who  associated  him 
with  sober  husbands,  happy  homes,  credit  at  the  gro 
cer's,  decent  clothes  for  themselves  and  their  children, 
who  looked  upon  him  as  a  type  of  the  One  who  spent 
his  life  going  about  doing  good.  Among  them  were 
men,  rough  and  uncultivated  most  of  them,  in  whose 
hearts  he  kindled  the  divine  flame  of  love,  who  would 
have  followed  him  unquestioningly  to  death. 


VIII 

ON  THE  RIVER 

}HERE  are  horses  and  dogs  and  guns  and 
boats  and  fishing-tackle  at  your  service," 
said  Denman.  "  I  keep  'em  for  my  friends, 
and  it  's  a  great  pleasure  to  me  to  have 
'em  used.  There  's  always  a  spare  knife  and  fork  at 
our  table ;  drop  in  as  often  as  you  can— breakfast, 
lunch,  or  dinner.  We  all  play  whist.  We  want  you 
to  come  and  go  just  as  Tom  would  if  he  were  living 
here." 

Craigin  hesitated,  hardly  knowing  how  to  express 
himself  without  giving  offense. 

The  brewer  instantly  divined  his  thought. 

"I  don't  want  to  compromise  you,"  he  continued; 
"  and  I  promise,  if  you  ever  feel  called  upon  to  fight 
my  business,  I  '11  hold  you  as  free  to  do  so  as  if  we 
were  strangers.  I  like  you,  and  I  shall  feel  more  hurt 
than  I  can  express  if  you  let  any  scruples  of  that  kind 
stand  between  us  as  friends." 

Craigin  accepted  these  hospitalities  in  the  spirit, 
though  not  to  the  extent,  they  were  offered,  and  his 
intimacy  with  Denman  himself  was  a  source  of  great 
pleasure.  Even  before  Isabel's  return  from  Newport 

50 


ON  THE  RIVER  51 

he  saw  clearly  why  father  and  daughter  were  all  the 
world  to  each  other.  Isabel  inherited  her  father's 
brains  and  her  mother's  beauty.  But  Mrs.  Denman 
was  blessed  with  considerable  tact  and  more  indolence. 
A  late  breakfast  in  bed,  an  elaborate  toilet,  embroidery 
when  she  felt  industrious,  a  light  novel  when  she  did 
not,  lunch,  a  siesta,  a  bath,  a  more  elaborate  toilet,  a 
drive,  a  call  or  two,  dinner,  and  whist— this  was  her 
daily  routine.  As  to  the  establishment,  Denman  kept 
a  competent  housekeeper.  The  wife  and  mother  had 
no  cares,  and  was  as  contented,  as  amiable,  and  as 
purely  ornamental  as  a  petted  pussy.  She  was  still 
extraordinarily  beautiful,  and  had  the  faculty  of  say 
ing  little  and  appearing  to  be  intelligent.  Denman 
kept  open  house.  United  States  senators,  governors, 
congressmen,  brewers,  liquor-dealers,  traders,  horse 
men,  and  plain  Yankee  farmers  put  their  legs  under 
his  sumptuous  but  democratic  mahogany.  The  con 
versation,  from  Gladstone's  policy  to  the  fine  points 
of  a  horse,  was  almost  always  good  of  its  kind,  and 
Isabel,  even  when  a  little  child,  generally  understood 
it  far  better  than  did  the  beautiful  woman,  whose  tact, 
combined  with  her  husband's  pride,  rarely  permitted 
her  to  betray  her  ignorance. 

Denman  sent  Isabel  to  a  fashionable  boarding-school 
at  an  early  age,  because  she  was  practically  mother 
less  and  his  company  was  almost  exclusively  mascu 
line.  For  the  same  reasons  he  was  glad  to  have  her 
spend  her  vacations  with  the  Cliffords  and  get  an 
opportunity  to  mingle  with  the  best  European  society. 

Denman's  grounds,  almost  a  park  in  extent,  sloped 
back  to  the  Apsleigh  River. 


52  THE  STAND-BY 

One  October  afternoon  Craigin  came  up  from  the 
landing. 

"  I  7ve  bought  a  shell,"  he  said,  as  Isabel  met  him  in 
the  hall,  "  and  have  called  to  see  if  you  11  join  me  in 
trying  it.77 

"  With  the  greatest  pleasure,77  she  replied.  "  If  you  '11 
excuse  me,  1 711  be  ready  in  a  few  minutes.77 

As  she  went  to  her  room  she  recalled  a  remark  she 
had  made  weeks  before  and  had  not  thought  of  since. 
It  was :  "  1 7ve  always  been  accustomed  to  boats  and 
rowing,  but  I  never  was  in  a  shell,  and  should  like 
nothing  better  than  to  try  one.77 

"  1 7m  sure  he  bought  it  for  me,"  she  said  to  herself. 

She  soon  returned,  having  exchanged  her  afternoon 
dress  of  golden-brown  silk  with  velvet  trimmings  of 
a  darker  shade  for  a  boating-suit  of  soft  white  flannel 
—full  skirt,  blouse  waist,  and  cap— adorned  with 
anchors  embroidered  in  old-gold  floss-silk. 

"  You  7re  the  only  girl  of  my  acquaintance  1 7d  dare 
take  out  in  a  shell,77  observed  Craigin,  as  they  started 
out  together. 

"  The  only  one  you  7d  dare  drown  ? 77 

"The  only  one  I  would  n7t  be  afraid  of  drowning, 
for  it  7s  as  easily  upset  as  a  birch-bark  canoe.77 

"  So  7s  my  own  boat— almost.77 

"  Yes ;  I  did  n7t  dare  ask  you  till  I  had  tried  it.  I 
knew  if  you  could  manage  that,  you  could  balance  a 
shell.77 

"  When  did  you  try  it  ? 77 

"  Oh,  I  took  that  liberty  a  good  while  ago.77 

The  answer  satisfied  Isabel  that  the  shell  was  bought 
on  her  account. 


ON  THE  RIVER  53 

"  What  a  beauty !  "  she  exclaimed  as  they  reached 
the  landing. 

It  was  indeed  a  beauty— a  first-class  Spanish  cedar 
Elliott,  long,  light  as  paper,  slender  as  an  arrow  j  made, 
like  a  greyhound,  for  speed  alone. 

"Beg  pardon!  but  the  crew  must  go  aboard  to 
receive  the  passenger/7  said  Craigin,  laying  the  boat 
alongside  the  little  wharf,  and  taking  the  rower's  seat. 
"  There  !  now  1 '11  hold  it  steady  for  you." 

When  she  was  seated  and  the  motion  had  died 
away,  he  gently  pushed  off  an  oar's  length  from  shore. 
His  first  strokes  barely  stirred  the  water,  and  mean 
while  she  watched  closely  every  motion.  The  delicate 
craft,  trimmed  almost  to  a  feather's  weight,  glided 
along  without  a  tremor. 

"  Our  cockswain  himself  could  n't  beat  you ! "  he 
exclaimed  at  last,  falling  into  a  long,  easy,  regular 
sweep,  that  indicated  perfect  confidence.  Straight 
away  up  the  river  they  sped,  mile  after  mile,  the  ath 
lete  at  the  oars,  the  girl  at  the  rudder. 

"  Now  let  me  row ! "  she  cried  as  they  neared  the 
rapids  and  turned  the  bow  homeward. 

"  I  don't  dare." 

"I  won't  upset  it,  and  if  I  do,  I  can  swim  like  a 
duck." 

"  Ducks  are  n't  handicapped  that  way,"  he  replied, 
with  an  admiring  glance  at  the  costume,  which  strik 
ingly  set  off  her  dark  and  splendid  beauty,  but  was  not 
at  all  adapted  for  swimming. 

"  You  can  swim,  can't  you  ? "  she  inquired. 

"Yes." 

"  Then  there  can't  be  any  danger." 


54  THE  STAND-BY 

"  But  a  crab  may  mean  getting  wet." 

"I  'm  not  afraid  of  water,  and  I  won't  catch 
crabs." 

He  pulled  up  to  a  log  and  exchanged  places.  The 
rolling  seat  cost  her  a  crab  or  two,  for  the  motion  was 
new  to  her  ;  but  she  quickly  became  accustomed  to  it, 
and  was  delighted  with  the  power  it  gave.  The  for 
ests  were  robed  in  all  the  glories  of  Indian  summer, 
and  the  river  rolled  slowly  on  in  its  majesty,  gleaming 
in  the  sunlight,  black  in  the  shadow,  unruffled  by  a 
breeze.  The  girl  was  in  the  mood  for  testing  her  skill 
and  strength  to  the  uttermost.  There  was  something 
almost  fierce  in  her  energy,  yet  none  of  it  was  wasted. 
It  was  like  the  action  of  a  thoroughbred  horse,  that 
trots  to  the  point  of  breaking  and  never  breaks.  The 
shell  sped  on  faster  and  faster.  Each  stroke  left  its 
graceful  swirl  farther  and  still  farther  behind.  Crai- 
gin  sat  in  the  stern  and  watched  the  rower,  divine  in 
the  grace  of  motion,  her  glorious  features  flushed  with 
health,  glowing  with  exercise,  sparkling  with  exhila 
ration.  He  caught  also  a  glimpse  of  something  more 
—the  spirit  of  the  moment. 

Suddenly  she  rested  the  oars  and  sat  motionless  and 
silent. 

"I've  learned  something  in  spite  of  boarding- 
school  ! "  she  exclaimed  at  last.  "  I  can  row  and 
swim  and  skate  and  ride  a  horse— ladylike  accom 
plishments,  are  n't  they?  I  was  n't  such  a  very  bad 
scholar,  either ;  I  graduated  fifth  in  my  class." 

"  And  I  only  fifteenth,"  remarked  Craigin. 

"  Fifteenth  in  a  class  of  two  hundred  is  better  than 
fifth  in  a  class  of  nine,  is  n't  it  ? "  she  replied.  "  Any- 


ON  THE  RIVER  55 

how,  what  difference  does  it  make  ?    I  wish  1 7d  been 
a  man  and  had  lived  twenty-five  years  ago ! " 

"Why?" 

"  Because  there  was  life  worth  living  then,  and 
death  worth  dying." 

"  Not  more  then  than  now." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? ;; 

"  That  men  must  live  and  die  to  save  the  republic, 
as  they  did  twenty-five  years  ago." 

"  I  know  what  you  mean,  for  I  heard  your  speech 
the  other  night.  You  mean  the  liquor  business." 

"Yes $  that  and  other  things— that  most  of  all." 

"  You  really  mean  what  you  said,  that  it  had  done 
more  harm  to  English-speaking  people  than  war  and 
famine  and  pestilence  combined  ? " 

"  That  's  what  G-ladstone  says.  I  believe  it  ;s  true. 
The  nation  could  stand  it  well  enough  if  the  evil  were 
confined  to  drunkards  themselves,  but  that  's  the  small 
est  part  of  it." 

"  What  did  you  mean  by  saying  men  must  die  ? " 

"Something  very  different  from  what  you  were 
thinking  of.  Not  death  at  the  cannon's  mouth,  a 
nation's  praise,  a  hero's  name  in  song  and  story ; 
that—" 

"  That 's  a  death  brave  men  covet,"  interrupted  Isabel. 

"  I  meant  a  living  death,  fighting  for  God  and  the 
manhood  of  men ;  misunderstood,  jeered  at  as  a  crank, 
disowned  by  one's  dearest  friends,  cut  off  from  honors 
and  advancement,  isolated,  reviled,  hated,  persecuted, 
belied." 

"  That 's  a  death  only  the  bravest  can  face." 

"Thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  must  face  it," 


56  THE  STAND-BY 

replied  Craigin.  "  Do  you  know  how  the  Turks  took 
Constantinople  ? " 

"No." 

"There  was  a  deep  trench  in  front  of  the  walls. 
When  they  had  made  a  breach  in  the  walls,  men  flung 
themselves  into  the  trench  until  it  was  full,  and  horse, 
foot,  and  artillery  passed  over  them  to  victory." 

"  How  horrible— and  heroic !  " 

"  In  great  reforms  myriads  of  men  must  fling  them 
selves  into  living  graves  for  the  world  to  pass  over 
them  to  higher  things.  In  one  way  or  another,  human 
progress  is  over  bleeding  hearts.  It  always  has  been 
so  5  it  always  will  be  so." 

For  several  minutes  not  a  word  was  spoken.  Sud 
denly  there  was  a  splash.  A  muskrat  had  dived  from 
the  river  bank.  The  boat  had  drifted  close  to  the  shore. 

"  If  he  thought  a  course  were  right,"  said  Isabel  to 
herself,  "  he  'd  follow  it  straight  to  death— that  kind 
of  death— and  never  flinch  a  hair.  He  's  a  hero  if 
there  ever  was  one !  And  papa— the  terrible  fight— 
the  presentiment !  I  won't  believe  it— not  yet !  " 

What  she  said  to  the  hero  was  quite  different  from 
what  she  said  to  herself.  "  Don't  you  think  it  's  your 
turn  to  row  now  ?  I  '11  pull  up  to  that  boom,  and  we  '11 
change  seats." 

When  once  more  seated  in  the  stern  she  introduced 
a  momentous  question :  "  I  'm  to  have  a  new  traveling- 
hat,  and  there  are  two  at  the  house  that  are  just  too 
lovely  for  anything.  Mama  and  I  can't  tell  which 
we  like  the  better.  I  '11  leave  the  choice  to  you." 


IX 

WHEREIN   DANIELS    DIFFER 

|T  almost  any  time  within  twenty  years  the 
liquor  interest  might  have  reported,  "All 
is  quiet  in  Apsleigh."  A  quick  ear  could 
now  catch  mutterings  of  a  rising  storm. 
The  Reform  Club  had  acquired  influence  and  position. 
The  "  Tocsin  "  was  gradually  assuming  a  more  aggres 
sive  tone.  There  was  much  agitation  elsewhere,  and 
men  began  to  ask  one  another  if  something  could 
not  be  done  in  Apsleigh.  A  temperance  "  union  "  was 
formed.  It  included  people  of  all  shades  of  opinion, 
from  Eben  Harpswell  to  people  who  drew  the  line  at 
getting  drunk  and  selling  to  sots.  This  motley  organi 
zation  began  its  career  with  a  vast  amount  of  talk. 
Agreeing  in  nothing  else,  it  finally  agreed  to  vest  its 
powers  and  responsibilities  in  an  executive  committee, 
upon  which  its  members,  with  astonishing  unanimity, 
declined  to  serve.  At  length  the  twenty  gentlemen 
whose  names  stood  first  on  the  call,  of  whom  ten  were 
clergymen,  were  conscripted,  and  were  authorized  to 
do  battle  on  the  implied  basis  of  "  Heads  we  win,  tails 
you  lose." 

57 


58  THE  STAND-BY 

After  many  meetings  the  committee  decided  to  ask 
the  city  fathers  to  do  what  the  law  commanded  and 
their  oaths  of  office  required.  A  petition  was  circu 
lated.  Some  signed  because  they  wanted  the  law  en 
forced,  more  because  they  favored  closing  two  or  three 
low  dives,  hundreds  as  a  joke  "  to  see  the  mayor  and 
aldermen  wiggle/'  and  the  great  majority  because  they 
were  asked  to  and  it  cost  them  nothing.  The  city 
fathers  talked  the  petition  over  from  week  to  week, 
and  received  many  intimations  from  influential  mem 
bers  of  the  Temperance  Union  that  a  fight  with  Den- 
man  was  not  to  be  thought  of.  They  were  told  that 
nearly  every  one,  except  Harpswell  and  his  small  fol 
lowing,  would  be  satisfied  if  Bridget  Maloney  and 
One-legged  Gibbs  were  attended  to.  In  due  course 
of  time  the  old  woman  and  the  cripple  retired  from 
mercantile  pursuits  and  took  refuge  in  the  almshouse. 
Three  aldermen  made  themselves  politically  unavail 
able  by  declaring  that  it  was  cowardly  to  prosecute 
two  paupers  and  let  a  millionaire  sell  barrels  where 
they  had  sold  pints.  The  mayor  and  six  aldermen 
protested  that  prudence  was  not  cowardice.  They  said 
it  would  be  better  to  go  slowly  and  make  thorough 
work  of  it.  They  made  thorough  work  of  going  slowly. 
Months  passed  and  nothing  further  was  attempted. 
The  "  Tocsin  "  published  sarcastic  and  stinging  edito 
rials.  A  local  Junius  dipped  his  pen  in  gall.  The 
executive  committee  demanded  that  something  should 
be  done.  Mass-meetings  were  held.  Prosecuting 
members  of  the  city  government  for  criminal  neglect 
of  duty  was  publicly  discussed. 

As  the  official  year  wore  on  the  clamor  died  away 


WHEEEIN  DANIELS  DIFFER  591 

and  interest  centered  upon  the  next  election.  The 
contest  was  sharp,  and  the  mayor  and  his  six  liquor 
colleagues  were  returned  by  a  handsome  majority. 
There  was  a  fly  in  the  ointment.  At  each  of  the  cau 
cuses  a  resolution  had  been  introduced  instructing  the 
candidates,  if  elected,  to  enforce  all  laws  of  the  State 
so  far  as  they  were  required  to  do  so  by  statute  and 
official  oaths.  Objections  to  resolutions  so  worded 
could  hardly  be  made,  and  a  free- whisky  government 
was  elected  on  a  prohibition  platform.  It  was  not 
elected  by  anything  like  a  strict  party  vote.  It  was 
scarcely  inaugurated  before  the  demand  for  consistent 
action  became  louder  than  ever.  The  five  or  six  men 
of  peace  on  the  executive  committee  had  dropped  out, 
and  the  others  were  united  and  plucky.  They  waited 
on  the  city  fathers. 

"Here  is  the  law,"  said  their  chairman,  opening  a 
book  that  lay  on  the  table.  "  It  is  violated  thousands 
of  times  a  day  within  gunshot  of  this  council-chamber, 
and  you  know  it.  Here  is  the  statute  requiring  you 
to  enforce  it,  and  making  you  liable  to  criminal  prose 
cution  if  you  don't.  Here  are  the  instructions  under 
which  you  were  elected,  directing  you  to  enforce  all 
laws  so  far  as  your  official  duty  extends.  I  myself 
heard  you  take  your  oaths  to  do  so.  Do  you  intend 
to  keep  them  or  to  violate  them  ? " 

"  This  has  been  an— extraordinary— and— painful- 
interview,"  said  the  mayor  when  the  committee  had 
withdrawn.  "  The— situation  is— embarrassing— very 
—and— perhaps  we  had  better— take  counsel." 

The  city  solicitor  was  summoned. 

"  I  don't  believe  in  prohibition,"  he  said ;  "  I  believe 


60  THE  STAND-BY 

in  license,  and  know  most  of  you  do ;  but  that  's 
neither  here  nor  there.  The  statute  is  plain  as  day. 
You  have  n't  any  choice  in  the  matter." 

"  There  '11  be  the  devil  to  pay  if  we  go  for  John  Den- 
man/'  remarked  one  of  the  aldermen. 

u  There  '11  be  the  devil  to  pay  anyway/'  was  the  com 
forting  reply.  "You  're  caught  between  the  upper 
and  nether  millstones,  and  they  '11  grind  you  to 
powder." 

"  Looks— that— way,"  wailed  the  mayor. 

"  Yes  j  you  've  got  the  army  blue  on,  and  it 's  only 
a  question  of  being  shot  fighting  or  being  shot  trying 
to  dodge." 

"We— don't— want— to— dodge,"  groaned  the  may 
or,  "and— we— don't  want  to  be— shot— either." 

His  fat  chin  fell  upon  his  chest,  and  great  beads  of 
sweat  stood  on  his  brow.  He  seemed  to  shrink  and 
dwindle  bodily,  as  if  his  portly  figure  were  much  too 
conspicuous  a  target. 

"Would — you — feel — hurt — if  we  should — call  in 
other— counsel?"  he  inquired  at  last,  piteously. 

"  Hurt !  Should  be  delighted !  It 's  for  you  to  say 
whether  to  prosecute  in  behalf  of  the  city,  and  if  you 
say  prosecute,  I  won't  sacrifice  my  honor  by  shirking 
what  the  law  puts  on  me  j  but  I  tell  you,  I  don't  hanker 
after  any  part  of  it." 

He  was  dismissed,  and  Mr.  Woods,  Denman's  pro 
fessional  adviser,  was  called  in. 

"  Unfortunately,"  said  Woods,  "  we  have  a  sumptu 
ary  law,  and  its  enforcement  is  primarily  committed 
to  you.  In  so  unpleasant  a  matter,  of  course  you 
don't  wish  to  exceed  your  duty  ?  " 


WHEREIN  DANIELS  DIFFER  61 

"  No,"  replied  the  mayor,  promptly. 

"  But,  as  honest  men,  to  do  your  duty,  neither  more 
nor  less  ? " 

"  Y-yes,"  said  the  mayor,  unconsciously  shaking  his 
head. 

"  I  'm  sorry  to  have  to  differ  from  my  learned  young 
brother,  your  official  counsel ;  but  it  's  an  old  legal 
maxim  that  reason  is  the  life  of  law,  and  even  statutes 
must  be  construed  and  enforced  according  to  common 
sense.  The  statute  says  you  shall  prosecute  every 
person  guilty,  and  so  forth.  Literally  that  means  any 
person  in  the  State.  Have  you  the  right  to  go  from 
county  to  county  prosecuting  at  the  expense  of  Aps- 
leigh?  Even  Dr.  Bradford  would  n't  claim  it  means 
what  it  says.  What  does  it  mean  ?  It  says  you  shall 
prosecute  if  you  can  obtain  reasonable  proof.  In  a 
sense  I  can  take  a  trip  around  the  world  j  in  another 
I  can't,  for  I  can't  afford  the  time  and  money.  In  a 
sense  you  can  sacrifice  your  business  and  turn  spies ; 
as  language  is  commonly  used— and  the  law  makes 
that  the  rule  in  construing  statutes— you  can't.  It 's 
no  part  of  your  duty.  It  is  n't  what  you  were  elected 
to  do." 

"  Mr.  "Woods,"  inquired  an  alderman,— he  was  a  new 
member  who  had  not  been  considered  dangerous,— 
"Mr.  Woodsr  if  men  were  murdered  in  this  city  as 
openly  as  liquor  is  sold,  if  the  statute  made  it  our  duty 
to  prosecute,  and  if  we  should  fold  our  hands  and  say 
we  can't  get  evidence,  what  do  you  suppose  the  com 
munity  would  do  ? " 

"It  's  against  the  law,"  replied  Woods,  "to  drive 
faster  than  a  walk  over  Denman  Bridge.  It  is  n't 


62  THE  STAND-BY 

three  hours  since  I  saw  the  chairman  of  this  over- 
righteous  committee  violate  that  law.  If  there  's  no 
difference  between  little  things  and  big,  why  don't  you 
prosecute  the  Eev.  Dr.  Bradford  ? " 

"Is  n't  that  a  matter  which  the  law  leaves  to  our 
discretion?  Does  it  say  we  shall  prosecute?  Have 
we  taken  any  oath  to  do  so  ? " 

"  Well,  it  7s  pretty  much  the  same  with  the  prohibi 
tory  law,  in  spite  of  the  l  shall '  and  the  oath.  There  's 
a  statute  authorizing  city  councils  to  regulate  the  sale 
of  liquors  and  the  places  where  they  are  sold.  That 
cuts  prohibition  as  soap  cuts  grease,  does  n't  it? 
Amounts  to  a  confession  that  it  can't  be  enforced  in 
cities,  does  n't  it?  You  've  spoken  of  murder,  Mr. 
Capen.  What  would  you  think  of  a  statute  making 
it  a  capital  offense  side  by  side  with  another  authoriz 
ing  city  councils  to  regulate  its  commission  and  the 
hours  and  places  in  which  it  may  be  committed  ? " 

"  Which  is  the  older,"  inquired  Capen,  "  the  prohibi 
tory  law  or  the  law  authorizing  regulation  ? " 

"I  don't  know." 

"  If  the  prohibitory  law  is  the  more  recent,  would  n't 
it  in  effect  repeal  the  other  ? " 

"  These  ordinances  exist  in  every  city  in  the  State," 
replied  Woods,  evading  the  question. 

"  Have  n't  been  set  up  as  defenses  to  liquor  prose 
cutions,  have  they?"  persisted  Capen.  "Whatever 
the  law  says  city  councils  'may'  do,  it  says  the  mayor 
and  aldermen  l  shall '  prosecute,  does  n't  it  ?  Puts  that 
in  our  oath  of  office,  does  n't  it  ?  Makes  us  liable  to 
criminal  prosecution  ourselves  if  we  don't,  does  n't 
it?" 


WHEREIN  DANIELS  DIFFEE  63 

"Suppose  it  does?  To  be  required  to  prosecute, 
you  must  have  reasonable  proof.7' 

"  That  is  n't  what  the  statute  says,  Mr.  Woods.  It 
says  l  can  obtain.'  Are  n't  liquors  sold  as  openly  in 
this  city  as  groceries  are  ? " 

"  What  of  it  ?  Reasonable  proof  is  proof  that  gives 
reasonable  assurance  of  conviction.  Men  will  leave 
the  State  before  they  '11  testify  in  liquor  cases.  They  '11 
lie  on  the  witness-stand  when  they  'd  tell  the  truth 
about  anything  else  if  it  cost  them  thousands  of  dol 
lars.  Grand  juries  won't  indict,  and  petty  juries 
won't  convict,  no  matter  how  strong  the  evidence  is." 

"As  bad  as  that?" 

"I  don't  call  it  bad.  It  's  just  as  it  ought  to  be. 
When  it  was  death  to  steal  a  shilling,  when  it  was  im 
prisonment  and  mutilation  to  tell  the  truth  about  men 
in  office,  English  juries  redeemed  English  humanity 
and  English  liberty  by  putting  common  justice  and 
common  sense  before  their  oaths,  and  all  the  world 
honors  them  for  it.  Why  not  say  what  we  all  know  ? 
The  prohibitory  law  is  such  a  meddlesome  and  out 
rageous  interference  with  personal  liberty  that  it  's 
impossible  to  enforce  it  in  a  free  country.  It  never 
was  intended  as  anything  but  a  sop  to  cranks.  It  was 
understood  that  they  were  to  have  the  law,  and  the 
people  the  whisky.  The  Republican  party  has  n't  a 
vote  to  spare.  If  a  few  hundred  cranks  should  refuse 
to  vote  the  ticket  without  a  law  against  kissing,  mem 
bers  of  the  legislature  would  tumble  over  each  other 
in  their  haste  to  pass  the  law,  and  boys  and  girls 
would  kiss  more  than  ever.  Do  you  think  those  same 
members  of  the  legislature,  if  they  were  on  a  jury, 


64  THE  STAND-BY 

would  let  a  fine  young  fellow  be  sent  to  jail  for  kissing 
Ms  girl?" 

"Do  you  mean,"  interrupted  Capen,  "that  if  we 
don't  like  the  law  we  should  disobey  it  and  violate  our 
oaths?" 

"The  voters  of  this  State  don't  want  such  oaths 
kept,  and  take  good  care  not  to  elect  men  who  will 
keep  them.  You  're  the  servants,  not  the  masters,  of 
the  people,  are  n't  you  ?  They  want  the  law  for  politi 
cal  reasons  only.  They  won't  have  it  enforced.  I  '11 
put  it  on  this  ground,  if  you  like  it  better :  the  wicked 
prejudice  against  the  law,  if  you  choose  to  call  it  so, 
is  an  important  fact  to  be  taken  into  account  in  decid 
ing  what  is  the  reasonable  proof  on  which  you  are 
required  to  act,  that  is,  what  proof  is  reasonably  sure 
to  convict.  It 's  an  old  maxim  that  the  law  does  n't 
demand  impossibilities  of  anybody,  not  even  of  the 
mayor  and  aldermen.  If  it  should  command  you 
to  dip  up  the  Atlantic  Ocean  with  a  quart  pot,  you 
would  n't  be  bound  to  do  it,  would  you  ? " 

"What— would— you— advise?"  asked  the  mayor, 
raising  his  head,  with  a  sigh. 

"  You  might  authorize  the  city  marshal,  as  chief  of 
police,  to  enforce  the  law,  and  instruct  him  to  enforce 
the  ordinances." 

"  Authorized  to  enforce  the  law,  and  instructed  to 
regulate  its  violation ! "  exclaimed  Capen,  when  the 
vote  had  been  taken.  "  If  we  don't  have  the  contempt 
of  honest  men  on  both  sides,  it  won't  be  because  we 
have  n't  earned  it !  " 


" WHERE    ANGELS   FEAR  TO   TREAD" 

^RAIGIN  published  the  particulars  of  that 
session.  He  wrote  editorials  so  biting  and 
caustic  that  they  were  copied  far  and  wide, 
even  by  journals  that  had  no  sympathy 
with  prohibition ;  and  far  and  wide  people  shook  their 
sides  over  the  torment  of  the  Apsleigh  city  fathers  and 
in  imagination  "  saw  7em  wiggle."  Every  one  laughed 
at  them.  Some  despised  them.  No  one  hated  them. 
They  had  avoided  making  enemies,  and  in  the  lottery 
of  politics  they  might  soon  be  again  "  available "  as 
"  prudent  and  conservative  men.'7 

Events  took  a  different  course.  At  a  recent  session 
of  the  legislature  an  act  had  been  passed  declaring 
that  all  buildings,  places,  and  tenements  used  for  the 
illegal  sale,  or  keeping  for  sale,  of  intoxicating  liquors 
were  common  nuisances,  and  might  be  enjoined  or 
abated  as  such  upon  the  petition  of  twenty  or  more 
legal  voters.  The  legislature,  occupied  with  a  great 
railroad  fight,  passed  the  act  without  thought  or  dis 
cussion.  When  it  adjourned  people  discovered,  or 
thought  they  did,  that  the  new  law  was  an  irresistible 
5  65 


66  THE  STAND-BY 

engine  of  warfare.  Hope  and  fear,  a  desire  to  exalt 
or  condemn  the  law,  ignorance  of  legal  principles,  and 
sensational  journalism  combined  to  set  the  wildest 
ideas  afloat.  Many  imagined  that  the  liquor  traffic 
could  be  abolished  by  petitioning  the  Supreme  Court, 
and  even  intelligent  men  supposed  that  an  injunction 
would  be  a  perpetual  encumbrance  on  real  estate. 
Armed,  as  they  thought,  with  such  a  tremendous 
weapon,  advocates  of  prohibition  became  zealous  for 
war.  For  a  time  their  confidence  and  the  demoraliza 
tion  of  the  enemy  made  their  imaginary  advantage 
real.  In  a  number  of  the  cities  and  large  towns  peti 
tions  under  the  nuisance  act  were  sharply  followed 
by  prosecutions  under  the  old  law,  and  many  liquor- 
dealers,  bewildered  and  disheartened,  made  the  best 
terms  they  could,  and  were  enjoined  by  consent. 
Apsleigh  alone  had  a  Denman,  and,  while  the  war  of 
words  went  on,  there  seemed  no  disposition  to  come 
to  blows. 

Weeks  had  passed  into  months  when,  one  morning 
in  May,  Eben  Harpswell  entered  the  county  attorney's 
office.  If  Harpswell  had  lived  in  the  days  of  the  In 
quisition  he  would  have  gloried  equally  in  going  to 
the  stake  himself  and  in  sending  others  there  for  the 
slightest  differences  of  opinion.  He  was  a  man  of 
small  caliber  and  great  activity,  utterly  incapable  of 
comparing  means  with  ends,  sincere,  narrow,  fanatical. 

"  Mr.  Strickland,"  he  said,  "  I  want  you  to  enforce 
the  nuisance  act.  Here  are  the  papers." 

His  manner  was  that  of  one  claiming  the  right  to 
command  and  expecting  it  would  be  questioned.  It 
was  the  lawyer's  first  intimation  of  the  proceedings. 


"WHERE  ANGELS  FEAK  TO  TREAD"  67 

He  controlled  his  impulse  to  swear,  lighted  his  cus 
tomary  sedative,  and  mechanically  read  the  papers 
from  beginning  to  end. 

"  What  evidence  have  you  got  ? "  he  inquired  at  last. 

"I  've  got  twenty  names.  What  's  the  need  of 
evidence  ? " 

"I  can't  do  anything  without  evidence,"  replied 
Strickland,  his  voice  trembling  with  indignation. 

"  I  don't  see  why  not.  The  law  says  l  upon  petition 
of  twenty  or  more  legal  voters.7  It  does  n't  say  any 
thing  about  evidence." 

"  Another  law,"  exclaimed  Strickland,  "  says  that  on 
petition  of  one  person  a  dangerous  lunatic  may  be  sent 
to  the  madhouse !  Do  you  think  that  means  without 
proof  that  he  's  a  dangerous  lunatic  ? " 

"  Then  how  's  the  new  law  any  better  than  the  old  ? " 

"  I  don't  know  that  it  is.     It  has  n't  been  tried." 

"  Has  n't  been  tried !  Have  n't  you  read  a  news 
paper  for  two  months  ? " 

"  Is  a  battle-ship  tried  before  any  one  knows  whether 
her  guns  are  steel  or  solder  ?  " 

"  Well,  if  the  new  law  has  n't  been  tried,  it 's  high 
time  it  was.  I  want  you  to  go  right  ahead  with  those 
papers.  You  can  get  evidence  enough." 

Strickland  refilled  his  pipe  and  smoked  in  silence, 
fighting  hard  for  self-control,  while  his  visitor  eyed 
him  suspiciously. 

"  Mr.  Harpswell,"  he  said  at  length,  "  John  Brown 
tried  to  free  four  million  slaves  with  a  dozen  men  and 
as  many  old  muskets.  His  heart  was  right,  but  his 
head  was  wrong.  It 's  the  same  with  you." 

"  1 7ve  only  done  what 's  been  done  in  other  places." 


68  THE  STAND-BY 

"  Done  in  other  places !  In  other  places  the  move 
ment  was  led  by  influential  men  of  all  political  parties, 
evidence  was  collected  beforehand,  court  was  in  session 
instead  of  five  months  away,  and  there  was  no  John 
Denman.  Even  in  those  places  it  remains  to  be  seen 
whether  it  's  anything  more  than  a  passing  whirlwind. 
It  's  different  here.  How  you  got  three  or  four  of 
those  names  I  can't  imagine.  They  won't  train  with 
you,  and  the  rest  will  damn  the  movement  in  public 
opinion  from  the  sta,rt.  You  've  begun  war  without 
a  cartridge,  or  a  gun  to  fire  one  in.  You  withdrew 
from  the  Temperance  Union,  publicly  declaring  that 
it  had  n't  the  courage  of  its  convictions,  and  would  n't 
do  anything,  and  never  intended  to  do  anything.  The 
members  of  its  executive  committee,  whom  you  de 
spised  as  cowards,  have  a  glimmering  idea  of  what 
war  with  Denman  means,  and  are  quietly  preparing 
for  it.  You  have  cut  off  their  only  chance  of  victory." 

"  I  had  no  idea—" 

"  Of  course  you  had  n't !  If  you  had  ideas,  as  many 
as  Denman,  and  were  as  squarely  on  the  other  side, 
you  could  n't  do  a  tenth  of  the  mischief  you  've  done 
already.  The  war  has  got  to  begin  now,  not  because 
you  say  so,  but  because  you  've  gone  so  far  it  can't 
be  helped.  These  signers  can't  hold  their  tongues  a 
couple  of  months." 

That  evening,  after  a  hard  day's  work,  Strickland 
sat  in  a  cheerful  room,  in  anything  but  a  cheerful 
frame  of  mind.  He  had  scarcely  eaten  since  breakfast. 

"What  's  the  matter,  darling?"  asked  his  wife, 
smoothing  his  forehead  with  two  white  hands,  and 
kissing  it  in  a  pretty  way  she  had. 


"WHERE  ANGELS  FEAE  TO  TREAD"  69 

He  drew  her  upon  his  knee  and  kissed  her.  Then 
he  held  her  from  him,  so  he  could  watch  her  face,  and 
said,  "  Bessie,  how  would  you  like  to  leave  Apsleigh  ? " 

u  Leave  Apsleigh !  Why,  Mark,  what  do  you  mean  ? " 

"Just  what  I  say,  dear.  How  would  you  like  to 
leave  Apsleigh  ?  " 

"What  is  the  trouble,  darling?"  she  said,  kissing 
him  again.  "  It  must  be  something  dreadful.  Have 
you  lost  your  money  ? " 

"  No ;  it  is  n't  money.  There  's  going  to  be  a  liquor 
war."  He  told  her  all  about  it.  "I  Ve  had  a  great 
deal  to  enjoy  and  look  forward  to  in  Apsleigh,"  he 
said,  "  but  when  this  is  over  I  shall  have  nothing.  I 
shall  be  ruined  politically  and  professionally,  half  my 
old  friends  will  be  enemies,  and  as  to  staying  here,  I  'd 
rather  be  in  my  grave." 

"  Could  n't  you  resign  ?  " 

"On  the  eve  of  battle?" 

"  O  Mark,  I  'd  rather  see  you  dead  than  dishonored ! 
But  it  won't  be  as  bad  as  you  think.  You  don't  care 
so  very  much  about  politics,  do  you  ?  And  if  it  hurts 
your  business— you  say  Wilcox  makes  more  money 
selling  mortgages  and  things  than  you  do  practising 
law :  you  might  do  something  of  that  sort." 

"  Throw  up  the  finest  profession  in  the  world  and 
turn  mortgage-broker !  No,  Bessie ;  we  '11  go  West 
and  start  again." 

"  I  '11  go,  Mark,  when  the  time  comes,  but  it  won't 
come.  You  have  n't  brought  it  about  5  you  're  only 
where  the  law  puts  you ;  and  they  '11  think  all  the 
more  of  you  for  doing  your  duty."  Then  she  added, 
with  a  woman's  inconsequence :  "  They  won't  do  any- 

5* 


70  THE  STAND-BY 

thing  dreadful,— burn  the  house  or  try  to  kill  you,— 
will  they?" 

"  I  wish  they  would !  " 

"  O  Mark !  " 

"  The  house  is  insured,  and  I  ?d  as  soon  they  'd  kill 
me  as  not.  'T  would  n't  be  half  as  bad  as  what 's  be 
fore  me.  I  believe  in  prohibition  where  it  's  possible 
—if  it  ever  is.  I  'd  be  willing  to  die  to  make  it  win, 
and  killing  me  would  raise  a  storm  of  public  indigna 
tion  that  would  make  it  win.  There  's  no  hope  of 
anything  of  that  kind.  If  there  are  Harpswells  in 
Denman  's  camp,  he  '11  make  7em  curl  like  whipped 
hounds." 

"Mark,  what  makes  you  so  bitter  against  Harps- 
well  ?  He  means  well." 

"  I  know  it." 

"  And  Denman  does  n't.    He  's  a  bad  man." 

"  No,  Bessie  5  he  is  n't  a  bad  man.  He 's  a  giant  on 
the  wrong  side." 

"  What 's  the  difference,  Mark  ? " 

"  All  the  difference  in  the  world.  There  never  was 
a  worse  cause  than  the  slaveholders'  rebellion,  and  the 
men  who  fought  for  it  were  just  like  those  on  our  side. 
Their  greatest  general  was  the  finest  kind  of  a  man. 
Denman's  got  more  good  in  him  than  fifty  common 
men,  though  he  won't  scruple  at  anything  to  win  this 
fight.  I  could  bear  defeat  from  him,  but  to  be  ruined 
by  a  fool  in  our  own  camp— it 's  unbearable !  " 

"If  you  should  want  to  go,  Mark,  I  '11  gladly  go 
anywhere  in  the  world  with  you,  anywhere  you  think 
best.  There  's  no  place  I  can't  be  happy  in  with  you 
and  our  boy." 


"WHERE  ANGELA  FEAR  TO  TREAD"  71 

"  I  know  it,  Bessie,  and  it  is  n't  so  much  ourselves 
I  care  about— though  I  do  want  to  keep  this  house  for 
our  boy,  because  it  was  his  great-grandfather's— I 
don't  care  as  much  about  ourselves  as  I  do  about  the 
party." 

"Why,  Mark!" 

"  We  have  n't  any  votes  to  spare.  I  'm  afraid  it  '11 
give  the  State  to  the  Democrats." 

"  Suppose  it  does,  Mark  1    What  of  it  ? " 

"  Bessie ! " 

"  I  know  you  're  the  best  husband  that  ever  was, 
and  I  know  how  you  love  us  both  j  but  it  hurts  me, 
Mark— it  seems  awful  to  hear  you  say  you  care  more 
for  the  party  than  for  yourself  and  me  and  our  little 
boy.  I  can't  understand  how  any  one  can  feel  that 
way." 

"  Bessie,  you  're  a  Christian  if  there  ever  was  one." 

"  I  try  to  be  a  Christian,  Mark.     Why  ? " 

"  And  you  believe  in  the  church  of  Christ  ? " 

"  More  than  in  anything  else  j  more  even  than  in 
you,  darling." 

"Bessie,  I  believe  in  the  Republican  party  as  you 
believe  in  the  church  j  it 's  my  religion." 

"  0  Mark !  I  know  you  don't  mean  anything  of  the 
kind ;  but  that  seems  almost  like  sacrilege  to  me." 

"  It  is  n't  sacrilege,  Bessie  j  it  is  my  faith,  like  your 
faith  in  the  Christian  church.  I  believe  in  God ;  I  be 
lieve  he  has  chosen  our  country  to  be  the  Moses  of  the 
nations,  and  there 's  only  one  party  in  it  fit  for  a  divine 
mission.  It 's  through  that  party  that  government  of 
the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the  people  has  not 
perished  from  the  earth.  It 's  the  hope  of  the  future 


72  THE  STAND-BY 

for  this  nation  and  for  all  nations.  I  believe  the  Re 
publican  party  is  God's  instrument.  More  than  any 
other,  I  believe,  it  is  founded  on  Christ's  teachings." 

"  You  must  n't  blame  me,  Mark,  if  I  can't  see  any 
thing  divine  in  politics,— I  'm  only  a  woman,— but, 
darling,  if  the  Republican  party  has  God's  purpose  to 
work  out,  you  won't  defeat  it  by  doing  what  the  law 
makes  it  your  duty  to  do,  even  if  it  does  look  as  if  it 
might  give  the  next  election  to  the  Democrats." 


XI 

A  BET 

•SABEL  went  abroad  the  November  follow 
ing  Craigin's  arrival  in  Apsleigh.  During 
her  absence  he  wrote  to  her  occasionally, 
and  received  replies  at  irregular  intervals, 
written  in  her  frank,  unconventional  way.  In  one  of 
her  letters  she  said :  "  I  have  met  Mr.  Gladstone,  and 
have  dined  with  the  Prince  of  Wales.  I  mention  these 
events  in  the  order  of  their  importance."  At  another 
time  she  wrote:  "I  have  had  a  great  honor  for  an 
American  girl  and  a  plebeian— a  chance  to  marry  an 
echo  of  bygone  centuries.  Hundreds  of  years  ago  a 
knight  with  a  few  companions  held  a  narrow  pass 
against  a  mighty  host  until  the  king  and  his  army 
came,  and  the  kingdom  was  saved  from  invasion. 
Then  he  sank  to  the  ground  covered  with  wounds,  and 
as  his  life-blood  ebbed  away  the  king  laid  his  sword 
upon  him  and  made  him  a  count.  And  his  descen 
dant,  the  present  count,  can  waltz  like  a  dancing-master, 
and  play  the  fiddle  5  and  he— this  dancing,  fiddling 
carpet-noble—told  me  of  his  great  ancestor  to  induce 
me  to  marry  him.  What  do  you  think  I  told  him  ? 
I  told  him  if  he  would  take  me  to  the  cathedral  where 

73 


74  THE  STAND-BY 

the  bones  of  his  great  ancestor  are  buried,  I  would 
marry  the  bones." 

She  returned  from  foreign  lands  about  six  months 
before  the  Harpswell  affair.  Her  dark  and  splendid 
beauty  had  grown  more  dazzling  than  ever.  It  was 
such  as  her  mother's  had  been  at  twenty,  with  a  lithe- 
ness  of  form,  a  strength  and  activity  of  body,  and  a 
grace  of  motion  that  the  indolent  belle,  Miss  Isabel 
Andrews,  had  never  possessed.  She  had  cultivated  her 
special  gift  more  than  anything  else,  and  among  states 
men  and  princes.  Craigin  knew  she  could  read  the 
love  in  his  heart,  although  she  never  appeared  con 
scious  of  it.  Sometimes  he  half  believed  she  loved 
him  in  return,  but  of  that  she  gave  no  sign.  Their 
relations  of  good  comradeship  were  stopped  from 
going  further  by  an  indefinable  barrier,  as  if  each  felt 
the  shadow  of  coming  events. 

One  Thursday  afternoon,  one  of  his  quarter-holidays, 
Craigin  took  his  gun  and  started  for  Ash  Swamp. 
There  had  been  a  fresh  fall  of  snow,  and  although  it 
was  not  the  most  favorable  time  of  day,  he  hoped  to 
bag  a  brace  of  partridges  or  a  rabbit.  In  passing  the 
Denman  mansion  he  saw  Isabel  coming  down  the 
walk,  and  waiting  for  her  at  the  gate  a  pair  of  superb, 
milk-white  horses  attached  to  a  single-seated,  high- 
backed  Russian  sleigh,  with  silver-tip  bear  robes  and 
silver  screen. 

"What  a  magnificent  turnout !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"Is  n't  it  lovely?"  replied  Isabel.  "It  's  a  Christ 
mas  present  from  papa— only  it  is  n't  Christmas  yet. 
He  said  Santa  Claus  ought  to  come  with  the  snow. 
I  'm  going  to  try  it  for  the  first  time.  Grace  Wyman 


A  BET  75 

was  going  with  me,  but  she  's  telephoned  that  she  has 
company  and  can't.  I  shall  have  to  go  alone— unless 
you  've  nothing  better  to  do  for  an  hour  ? " 

Thus  ended  the  rabbit  hunt. 

The  conversation  drifted  to  life  in  great  English 
country  houses. 

"  I  'd  rather  be  an  earl  than  President  of  the  United 
States,"  said  Isabel,  as  she  finished  her  description  of 
an  earl's  life. 

"  Why,  I  thought  you  a  marvel  of  democracy  for  a 
young  lady  who 's  been  chaperoned  by  the  Cliffords  in 
the  courts  of  Europe." 

"I  'm  not,"  she  protested  emphatically.  "I  M  be 
lieve  in  a  nobility,  eldest  son  and  all,  if  I  did  n't  believe 
a  hundred  times  more  in  noblesse  oblige.  Americans 
pretend  to  despise  what  they  have  n't  got,  and  envy 
and  worship  it  in  some  one  else.  If  they  can  go  back 
seventy-five  years  to  a  stupid  side  judge  they  plume 
themselves  on  their  birth,  and  would  make  fun  of  my 
waiting-maid  for  giving  herself  airs  with  our  cook, 
just  as  a  Vere  de  Vere  would  make  fun  of  them.  Per 
haps  it 's  all  absurd,  from  Vere  de  Veres  down,  but  I  'd 
rather  be  absurd  than  a  hypocrite.  1 11  venture  to  say 
half  the  English  aristocracy  don't  care  as  much  for 
blood  as  I  do?  and  I  'm  every  inch  an  American  girl." 

"  What  makes  you  care  so  much  for  it  ? " 

"For  the  same  reason  that  people  would  want 
whisky  ten  times  as  much  as  they  do  now  if  they 
could  n't  get  it— because  it 's  the  one  thing  money 
can't  buy  or  brains  win." 

"  But  you  thought  more  of  meeting  Gladstone  than 
of  dining  with  the  Prince  of  Wales  ? " 


76  THE  STAND-BY 

"Yes;  Gladstone  is— Gladstone,  and  the  prince,  if 
it  were  n't  for  the  accident  of  birth,  would  be  a  com 
mon  man." 

"The  French  count  had  family  enough,  had  n't 
he?" 

"  He  was  the  eleventh  count  in  direct  line." 

"  And  you  despised  him  ? " 

"Yes." 

"  Yet  you  say  you  care  a  great  deal  for  family— for 
blood?" 

"  Yes,  I  do  j  but— let  me  show  you !  Come,  ponies, 
show  the  stuff  you  7re  made  of !  " 

The  road  was  level  as  a  turnpike,  the  sleighing 
superb.  The  colts,  covering  the  ground  with  flying 
feet,  held  their  speed  like  veterans,  their  mistress 
handling  them  with  the  skill  of  a  trainer. 

"  Blood  or  not,  they  're  trotters  from  forelock  to 
pastern !  "  she  exclaimed  at  length,  checking  them,  and 
glowing  with  pride.  "Do  you  think  I  don't  prize 
them  more  because  they  come  of  famous  stock  ?  But 
what  if  Thunderbolt  should  carry  himself  like  a  scrub, 
and  claim  the  honors  of  the  Derby  just  because  his 
great-great-great-grandmother  won  it  ?  He  has  a  pedi 
gree  and  does  n't  disgrace  it." 

"  I  see  what  you  mean,"  said  Craigin.  "  A  man  is 
one  who  does  great  things ;  family  is  a  line  of  men." 

"  That 's  just  it,"  replied  Isabel.  "  The  old  count 
who  held  the  pass  was  a  man.  If  his  blood  had  kept 
its  virtue  I  'd  have  bowed  down  and  worshiped  it ;  but 
eleven  generations  had  turned  it  to  water." 

"  Blood  to  water,  and  land  to  air !  "  mused  Craigin, 
half  to  himself  and  half  aloud. 


A  BET  77 

Isabel  turned  on  him  with  flashing  eyes.  "  Do  you 
think  I  despise  a  man  because  he  7s  poor  ? "  she  cried. 
"The  count  was  rich,— one  of  the  richest  men  in  his 
province,— but  he  was  a  coward.  A  boat  upset;  he 
swam  ashore,  and  left  ladies  to  save  themselves  as  best 
they  could." 

"  And  had  the  presumption  to  propose  to  you  after 
that?" 

"  Do  you  think  I  7d  have  let  the  creature  speak  to 
me  after  that  ?  But  I  knew  what  he  was  before.  I 
know  a  coward  when  I  see  one." 

In  the  course  of  the  winter  the  "Big  Six"  gave  a 
ball.  A  Big  Six  ball  meant  the  best  music  in  Boston, 
the  best  people  (from  a  society  point  of  view)  for  forty 
miles  around,  a  deal  of  dress,  much  pleasure  on  the 
part  of  those  within  the  charmed  circle,  much  envy  on 
the  part  of  those  without— in  a  word,  it  was  the  social 
event  of  a  winter  in  Apsleigh.  Craigin  went  with  the 
Denmans,  and  as  they  sat  together  at  a  corner  of  the 
banquet-table  they  could  not  help  overhearing  a  con 
versation  just  outside,  for  the  door  had  been  left  ajar, 
and  the  young  men  spoke  louder  than  they  realized. 

"  She  ?s  the  handsomest  girl  I  ever  saw,"  said  one  of 
them. 

"  My  sister  '11  be  wild  about  that  white  satin  and  the 
diamonds,"  said  the  other. 

"  What  are  diamonds  and  Worth  dresses  to  Isabel 
Denman?"  exclaimed  the  first  speaker.  "She  'd  be 
the  belle  of  the  ball  just  the  same  in  a  calico  gown." 

"What  ?s  she  going  to  do!"  queried  the  second 
speaker.  "  Marry  Craigin  or  the  new  Earl  of  Throck- 
morton  ? " 


78  THE  STAND-BY 

"  Marry  Craigin— I  '11  bet  you  fifty  dollars  she  does." 

"  AU  right.  1 '11  bet  fifty  on  the  earl.  If  she  don't 
have  either,  it  's  a  stand-off." 

"They  say  the  earl  's  handsome,  and  an  awfully 
good  fellow,  and  blue-blooded  for  a  thousand  years. 
Isabel  Denman  would  like  a  pedigree  and  a  coronet  as 
much  as  anybody;  but  I  tell  you,  Frank,  she  loves 
Craigin,  and  an  emperor  could  n't  get  her  away 
from  him— if  he  does  n't  get  into  a  fight  with  the  old 
man." 

"  Fred,  there  won't  be  any  fight.  Craigin  can't  do 
anything  alone,  and  he  's  the  only  man  in  this  city 
that 's  got  the  sand  to  stand  right  up  to  John  Denman 
and  give  and  take  to  a  finish." 

"  Yes ;  and  the  old  man  '11  have  to  be  prodded  mighty 
hard  before  he  '11  turn  on  a  young  fellow  that  saved 
his  life." 

"It  's  kind  of  queer,  though,  to  read  his  paper, 
growing  ranker  and  ranker  every  week,  and  see  him 
round  with  the  Denmans  the  way  he  is !  " 

"  That 's  why  I  bet  on  him.  Do  you  remember  the 
circus  chap  who  was  here  last  summer  ?  " 

"  The  one  who  did  n't  wear  tights  or  chalk  his  soles, 
and  rode  six  horses  bareback,  smoking  and  talking  and 
laughing  as  if  it  was  n't  any  more  of  a  trick  than  fall 
ing  off  a  log  ? " 

"  Yes.  It  was  n't  so  much  the  things  he  did  as  the 
way  he  did  'em.  Here 's  Craigin  carrying  himself  the 
same  way— captivates  everybody,  no  one  can  quite  tell 
how.  Denman  despises  a  coward  and  worships  a  hero, 
and  Isabel  ?s  a  chip  of  the  old  block.  They  don't  like 
what  he  's  doing,  but  they  like  him  all  the  better  for 


A  BET  79 

having  the  sand  to  do  it.    I  tell  yon,  it 's  going  to  beat 
the  earl ;  he  is  n't  in  the  race." 

Of  the  four  listeners  Mrs.  Denman  alone  showed 
the  embarrassment  they  all  felt.  Craigin  would  have 
given  all  he  had  to  read  Isabel's  thoughts  as  she  read 
his  j  but  that  he  could  not  do. 


PAKE  Two 

-r 

THE  FIEST  CAMPAIGN 


IN  REM 

jHE  day  and  the  hour  came.  The  city  clock 
struck  nine.  The  hostilities  precipitated 
by  Harpswell  began.  The  high  sheriff,  sev 
en  deputies,  and  twenty-three  assistants 
left  convenient  loitering-places  and  started,  according 
to  previous  agreement,  for  their  respective  scenes  of 
visitation.  In  five  minutes  it  was  generally  known 
that  something  unusual  was  taking  place  j  in  ten  that 
the  long-talked-of  liquor  war  had  begun.  Groups  of 
excited  people  stood  about  watching  the  officers,  won 
dering  who  had  signed  the  complaints,  whether  they 
would  dare  meddle  with  Denman,  what  he  would  do 
if  they  did,  and  how  it  all  would  end.  The  drug 
stores  were  not  molested;  the  raid  was  confined  to 
other  places  where  liquor  was  sold.  At  most  of  them 
not  a  drop  was  found.  Such  was  the  case  at  each  of 
Denman's  hotels.  His  wholesale  warehouse,  however, 
contained  hundreds  of  barrels.  The  secret  had  leaked, 
but  there  had  not  been  time  to  remove  so  large  a  stock. 
Notwithstanding  the  substantial  failure  of  the 
search,  the  dealers  were  notified  to  appear  before  the 

83 


84  THE   STAND-BY 

police  court  on  the  following  morning,  and  not  far 
from  a  hundred  witnesses,  taken  almost  haphazard, 
were  summoned.  At  the  appointed  time  the  proceed 
ings  were  adjourned  to  the  county  court-house,  and 
even  that  large  building  was  packed  to  suffocation 
with  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  people.  One  by  one 
the  defendants  pleaded  not  guilty,  waived  examination, 
and  gave  bail.  The  strangest  thing  was  their  good 
humor.  The  spectacle  of  a  great  organization  like  the 
Temperance  Union,  and  the  executive  committee  with 
its  brave  speeches,  abandoning  the  field  to  Harpswell 
was  ludicrous,  and,  in  spite  of  the  dreaded  nuisance 
act,  the  movement  was  already  known  as  the  Cranks' 
War. 

There  were  those  who  did  not  laugh.  "  Mr.  Strick 
land,"  said  one  of  them,  "  this  is  none  of  our  work ;  we 
wash  our  hands  of  it." 

"  Dr.  Bradford,"  was  the  reply,  "  I  wish  you  'd  step 
up  to  my  office." 

The  conference  was  a  long  one. 

"  This  war  is  n't  of  my  seeking,"  said  Strickland. 
"  Pve  never  believed  in  getting  too  far  ahead  of  public 
opinion.  But  that  7s  neither  here  nor  there.  It  's 
come.  Harpswell  's  a  fool,  and  deserves  a  fool's  fate  ; 
but,  all  the  same,  the  only  honorable  course  is  to  fight. 
If  we  back  out  now,  every  temperance  man  in  Apsleigh 
has  got  to  hunt  his  hole  and  stay  in  it  till  he  dies." 

That  night  the  active  members  of  the  executive 
committee  held  a  protracted  session,  and  unanimously 
voted  to  enlist  for  the  war.  It  had  been  declared,  and 
preparation  for  it  was  yet  to  be  made.  The  city  gov 
ernment  and  city  marshal  were  hostile.  Most  of  the 


IN   EEM  85 

local  leaders  in  politics  were  either  hostile  or  waiting 
to  go  with  the  majority,  though  a  few  were  friendly 
after  the  manner  of  Nicodemus,  secretly  and  by  night. 
The  wealth  and  influence  of  the  city  were,  as  it  was 
commonly  put,  "  conservative."  The  Temperance 
Union  was  in  fact  the  Temperance  Disunion.  Half 
the  executive  committee  were  clergymen,  whose  prac 
tical  wisdom  was  a  subject  of  lay  incredulity.  Then 
there  was  Harpswell,  an  object  of  terror  to  his  friends 
and  of  hope  to  his  foes. 

In  Denman's  storehouse,  under  a  keeper,  were  some 
forty  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  liquors,  every  drop  of 
which  was  liable  to  confiscation.  The  executive  com 
mittee  proceeded  to  take  the  bull  by  the  horns.  The 
process  in  rem,  that  is,  against  the  liquors  themselves, 
was  new  to  Strickland ;  for  in  twenty  years  it  had  been 
resorted  to  scarcely  a  dozen  times  in  all  the  State. 
He  drew  the  papers  as  best  he  could,  and  every  active 
member  of  the  executive  committee  signed  and  swore 
to  them.  The  service  of  these  papers  was  the  first  in 
timation  that  an  enemy  very  different  from  Harpswell 
had  entered  the  field. 

Denman  occasionally  lost  his  temper.  From  his 
standpoint,  he  never  before  had  such  great  provoca 
tion.  Within  ten  minutes  after  the  warrant  was  served 
a  pair  of  grays  attached  to  a  beer  wagon  dashed  down 
Main  street,  turned  the  corner  of  Garland  street,  and 
tore  up  to  his  storehouse  at  full  speed.  Denman 
sprang  to  the  ground  before  they  stopped.  Upon  a  pile 
of  barrels  sat  the  sheriff's  keeper,  a  brawny  giant,  two 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  bone  and  muscle,  motion 
less  as  a  graven  image,  grim  and  silent  as  a  Roman 


86  THE  STAND-BY 

gladiator,  and  withal  a  man  of  known  courage.  For 
a  moment  Denman  glared  at  him  without  speaking ; 
then  he  seized  a  barrel  of  Medf  ord  rum  by  the  chimes, 
tipped  it  over,  and  rolled  it  to  the  door. 

"Here,  Jim,"  he  said,  "take  hold!  Fly  round 
sharp ! " 

He  was  thrust  aside,  and  the  barrel  was  rolled  back 
and  set  on  end. 

"  Mr.  Denman,"  said  the  keeper,  "  these  liquors  are 
in  my  charge.  You  must  let  them  alone." 

"  In  your  charge  ?  And  who  are  you  ? "  cried  the 
owner,  with  an  oath. 

"Usually,"  was  the  calm  reply,  "I  'm  only  Dick 
Spaulding,  but  "—unconsciously  quoting  a  great  king 
—  "to-day  1 'm  the  State." 

"Jim,"  said  Denman,  after  bestowing  a  fervent 
curse  on  Dick  Spaulding,  and  the  State  too,  "Jim, 
call  the  boys !  Get  every  truckman  you  can !  We  '11 
have  these  liquors,  State  or  no  State !  Tell  'em  I  '11 
pay  'em  and  stand  by  'em." 

"  Mr.  Denman,"  interposed  Spaulding,  drawing  him 
self  up  to  his  full  height  of  six  feet  two,  and  looking 
the  magnate  of  Apsleigh  squarely  in  the  face,  "  if  you 
get  these  liquors,  you  '11  get  them  over  my  dead  body, 
and  it  won't  be  the  only  dead  body,  either.  I  'm  put 
here  to  keep  these  liquors,  and  I  shall  do  it.  Mark 
Strickland  says  the  law  '11  bear  me  out  in  it,  life  or 
death." 

"Well,  then,  it 's  death,  for  I  '11  have  'em !  " 

"  Mr.  Denman,"  said  Woods,  appearing  at  the  door 
way,  "  it  won't  do !  " 

"  What  won't  do  ?    Here  's  forty  thousand  dollars' 


IN  EEM  87 

worth  of  liquor  gone  to  hell!  I  don't  care  for  the 
money,  but—77  The  air  was  thick  with  profanity. 

Gnashing  his  teeth,  he  hastened  away,  and  met  his 
pastor  at  the  corner  of  Main  street.  "  See  here !  n  he 
snarled,  "  I  gave  twenty  thousand  dollars  to  build  your 
church !  I  subscribed  half  your  salary  !  I  7ve  paid 
the  last  cent  I  ever  shall,  and,  what  7s  more,  your  stay 
in  this  town  711  be  short !  You  7re  a  fine  specimen  of 
gratitude— meddling  with  my  business!  You  're  a 
Christian,  you  are.77 

"  Mr.  Denman,77  replied  the  clergyman,  "  I  have  in 
terfered  because  your  business  interferes  with  mine.77 

With  a  parting  curse  Denman  rushed  on,  sprang  up 
a  stairway,  and  burst  into  Strickland7s  office. 

"  Have  you  made  out  papers  for  the  seizure  of  my 
goods?77  he  demanded. 

"  I  have.77 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  them  ? " 

"  Have  them  condemned  if  necessary.77 

"No,  you  won7t!  They  7re  worth  forty  thousand 
dollars.77 

"  I  can7t  help  it  if  they  7re  worth  forty  millions.77 

"  Well,77— with  a  torrent  of  maledictions,—"  1 711  see 
about  that !  1 711  have  those  liquors !  " 

"  No,  you  won7t ! 77 

" 1 7d  like  to  know  why?77 

"  Because  they  711  be  defended  with  powder  and  lead 
if  necessary.77 

"  I  don7t  care  ad—  for  powder  and  lead !  " 

"  You  might  for  prison-bars,  and  that  7s  what  it 
would  come  to.  Mr.  Denman,  I  wish  you  well ;  don7t 
try  it.77 


88  THE  STAND-BY 

"  Wish  me  well !  Who  and  what  are  you,  to  wish 
me  well  or  ill  ? " 

He  descended  the  stairway,  leaving  imprecations 
behind  him.  An  hour  later  he  was  himself  again— 
a  quiet,  self-contained  man  of  fertile  brain  and  iron 
will,  preparing  for  such  a  fight  as  no  one  in  Apsleigh 
yet  dreamed  of. 

"  It >s  a  great  day  for  Apsleigh ! »  exclaimed  Harps- 
well  to  a  group  of  men  who  were  watching  the  trans 
portation  of  Denman's  liquors  to  a  county  building. 

"  It  was  a  great  day  for  Charleston,"  replied  one  of 
them,  "  when  Sumter  was  bombarded." 


II 

THE  LOCKOUT 

JHERE  was  a  gathering  on  Apsleigh  Avenue 
in  the  evening  of  the  "  great  day  for  Aps 
leigh."  According  to  society  standards 
the  company  was  not  select.  Neither  was 
it  festive,  although  the  table  was  laden  with  fruits, 
wines,  liquors,  and  cigars.  Occasionally  there  was  a 
bitter  laugh,  but  curses  were  more  frequent.  In  a 
more  important  respect  than  profanity  and  refresh 
ments,  the  meeting  was  strikingly  unlike  those  of  the 
executive  committee :  there  all  held  equal  rank ;  here, 
by  common  consent,  one  man  was  dictator. 

"  It  7s  war,"  said  Denman,  calmly  and  grimly,  as  the 
conference  ended,  "and  war  means  money.  Money 
and  public  sentiment  together  are  irresistible.  We 
have  one ;  we  '11  have  the  other.  Harpswell  has  al 
ready  won  us  half  the  battle.  There  must  be  no 
demonstration,  no  insult  to  any  one,  no  outrage  of 
any  kind.  The  burning  of  another  church  would  be 
our  ruin.  If  I  don't  sell  in  the  State,  the  law  can't 
touch  my  brewery ;  it  will  coin  money  for  the  fight. 
Besides,  the  help  are  our  friends,  and  I  would  n't  shut 

89 


90  THE  STAND-BY 

down  and  let  'em  suffer,  anyway.  The  nuisance  act 
can't  be  enforced  if  I  retire  from  business  in  my  other 
places.  I  have  retired.  To-morrow  morning  every 
guest  and  permanent  boarder  in  my  hotels  will  be 
notified  to  leave.  Next  day  at  noon  the  houses  will 
be  closed.  My  friends  of  the  other  hotels  and  the 
restaurants  will  gladly  do  likewise.  We  '11  stand  to 
gether  and  lick  these  cranks,  horse,  foot,  and  dragoons, 
till  there  is  n't  a  grease  spot  left  of  'em." 

The  Sunday  after  the  hotels  closed  there  was  a 
mass-meeting  in  the  city  hall.  Harpswell  was  there 
in  high  feather,  and  many  others  in  feather  not  so 
high.  Dr.  Bradford  made  the  opening  speech,  a  plain 
statement  of  what  the  executive  committee  hoped  to 
accomplish,  and  an  earnest  appeal  for  support.  Crai- 
gin  followed  with  a  masterly  ten  minutes'  talk.  He 
asserted  that  no  wrong  had  been  so  monstrous  that, 
at  some  time  in  the  past,  it  had  not  been  sanctioned 
as  inalienable  right.  "  The  divine  right  of  kings,"  he 
said,  "  the  right  to  sit  in  place  of  God  and  judge  of 
other  men's  beliefs,  the  right  of  private  vengeance,  of 
private  war,  of  slavery— all  these  have  been  unques 
tioned  by  the  world.  Where  are  they  now?"  He 
spoke  of  how  the  race  is  fighting  its  way  steadily  up 
to  the  golden  age,  the  age  of  the  future,  not  the  past. 
"We  are  the  Moses  of  the  nations,"  so  he  claimed, 
"  and  the  fulfilment  of  our  God-appointed  leadership 
depends  less  on  blood  and  iron  than  on  the  virtue  of 
our  citizens."  Then,  in  a  few  words,  he  told  how  the 
abuse  of  liquor  makes  for  pauperism,  disease,  igno 
rance,  degradation,  vice,  and  crime,  for  all  vile  things, 
all  things  corrupting  politics,  all  things  that  sap  the 


THE  LOCKOUT  91 

nation's  life.  "  A  generation  ago,"  he  said,  "  the  South 
defied  the  law  of  the  land.  Men  said  it  could  not  be 
enforced.  Business  was  disorganized.  Government 
bonds  were  wildcat  investments.  Billions  of  dollars 
were  thrown  into  a  pit  that  seemed  bottomless.  Hun 
dreds  of  thousands  of  brave  men  went  to  death ;  hun 
dreds  of  thousands  more  took  their  places.  Righteous 
law  was  enforced.  Treason  was  suppressed,  and  in 
suppressing  it  slavery  was  blotted  out.  From  waste 
and  agony  and  death  have  come  justice,  peace,  pros 
perity,  a  recreated  nation.  Through  all  the  ages  men 
will  thank  God  for  the  grandeur  and  the  glory  of  the 
great  uprising  which  saved  government  of  the  people, 
by  the  people,  for  the  people,  to  the  peoples  of  the 
earth.  There  is  coming  yet  another  great  uprising. 
Righteous  law  must  be,— and  must  be  enforced.  We 
must  work  out  our  destiny.  The  perils  of  the  future 
must  be  met  and  done  to  death  like  treason  and  sla 
very.  It  can  be  done.  Brave  men  can  do  it."  Then 
he  closed  with  an  appeal  to  stand  firm  at  all  costs— an 
appeal  so  earnest,  so  impassioned,  it  made  that  great 
audience  for  the  moment  kindred  spirits  with  himself. 
Closing  the  hotels  had  aroused  the  people.  Severe 
comments  on  Denman's  course  were  well  received 
from  unexpected  sources,  and  in  response  to  a  call,  and 
on  a  canvass  made  before  the  meeting  broke  up,  many 
persons  consented  to  open  their  houses  to  the  travel 
ing  public.  Arrangements  were  made  for  publishing 
a  directory  of  such  houses,  and  delegates  were  chosen 
to  see  that  strangers  were  cared  for  on  the  arrival  of 
every  train.  The  results  of  political  and  personal  dis 
like  for  Harpswell  were  in  great  measure  counteracted 


92  THE  STAND-BY 

by  the  stand  of  the  executive  committee.  The  audacity 
of  an  attack  on  Denman  captivated  the  multitude. 
The  meeting  closed  with  great  enthusiasm.  The 
leaders  were  surprised  and  encouraged.  At  that  time 
volunteers  were  abundant,  but,  as  in  '61,  powder  and 
shot,  rifle  and  cannon,  were  wanting. 

Weeks  passed.  All  saloons  and  bar-rooms  were 
closed.  Drunkenness  disappeared.  The  city  was 
orderly  beyond  precedent.  Some  regarded  the  war 
as  ended,  and  were  astonished  that  what  had  seemed 
so  difficult  had  proved  so  easy;  others  knew  it  had 
scarcely  begun.  In  the  absence  of  stirring  events  the 
business  outlook  became  the  chief  topic  of  newspaper 
discussion.  All  of  the  papers  published  interviews. 
Stanch  temperance  men  claimed  that  local  trade  in 
the  necessaries  and  comforts  of  life  was  increasing. 
No  one  could  deny  that  business  from  other  places 
was  falling  off  with  alarming  rapidity.  The  crusad 
ing  spirit  gradually  fizzled  away,  like  gas  from  soda- 
water,  while  the  shadow  of  the  giant  grew  larger. 
Forbearance  under  prosecution,  or,  as  many  put  it, 
persecution,  and  the  extraordinary  quiet  and  good 
order,  won  over,  as  Denman  had  foreseen,  influential 
people  whom  anything  like  an  outrage  would  have 
made  allies  of  the  executive  committee.  It  became 
irksome  to  entertain  the  traveling  public.  Strangers 
disliked  the  restraint  of  private  houses  and  the  con 
sciousness  of  being  unwelcome  guests.  Everybody 
who  could  shunned  the  town.  Rival  towns  took  ad 
vantage  of  the  situation.  Apsleigh  was  losing  touch 
with  the  business  world,  was  in  danger  of  becoming 
isolated  and  decayed.  Those  who  at  first  thought 


THE  LOCKOUT  93 

Denman  had  made  a  mistake  in  closing  the  hotels 
began  to  look  at  it  differently,  and  the  reasons  which 
he  gave  for  doing  so  in  great  measure  transferred  the 
odium  to  the  other  side.  Shortly  after  the  hotels 
closed  he  went  away— "  to  see  about  investments  else 
where."  He  did  not  return  until  the  tide  had  begun 
to  set  strongly  his  way.  The  next  morning  a  "  Times  " 
reporter  found  him  at  his  office,  to  all  appearance  as 
free  from  anxiety  as  if  no  rumor  of  trouble  had  ever 
reached  his  ears. 

"  I  called  to  interview  you  in  regard  to  the  hotels, 
if  you  've  no  objection,"  said  the  reporter. 

"  Not  the  slightest.  Won't  you  have  a  cigar  ?  1 've 
closed  the  houses  because  I  don't  want  to  run  them  at 
a  heavy  loss." 

"  It 's  made  a  great  stir." 

"  Of  course.     How  do  you  like  that  cigar?" 

"  Best  I  ever  smoked." 

"  Then  you  '11  do  me  a  favor  by  taking  the  box. 
Clifford  has  a  plantation  a  few  miles  west  of  Havana, 
—best  tobacco  land  on  the  island,  best  in  the  world,— 
and  he  's  sent  me  a  whole  case." 

"Really,  Mr.  Denman,"  exclaimed  the  reporter, 
greatly  flattered,  "I  don't  think  I  ought  to  accept 
such  a  present !  They  're  so  choice  and—" 

"  Don't  mention  it !  "  interrupted  Denman.  "  I  can't 
get  any  more  of  Clifford,  for  he  won't  take  pay  j  but 
I  've  arranged  to  buy  of  his  agent,  and  shall  have  the 
pleasure  of  treating  my  friends  to  what  they  can't  find 
outside  of  Cuba." 

"  It 's  a  snap  to  be  one  of  your  friends.  But  I  must 
finish  this  interview  and  write  it  up  for  the  type-set- 


94  THE  STAND-BY 

ters  this  afternoon.  Perhaps  I  'm  trespassing  on  your 
time  ? " 

"  Not  at  all/7  said  Denman,  to  whom  the  interview 
was  of  great  importance. 

"  You  say  you  have  closed  your  hotels  because  you 
can't  run  them  according  to  law  without  loss  ? " 

"  Solely  for  that  reason." 

"The  bar  receipts  must  have  been  very  large? 
Excuse  me  for  asking  the  question,  Mr.  Denman.  I 
would  n't  have  you  think—" 

"  I  'm  glad  you  asked  it.  When  it 's  given  out  that 
the  hotels  are  closed  because  they  can't  be  run  in  con 
formity  to  law,  and  the  reasons  are  not  explained, 
people  take  it  for  granted,  as  you  did,  that  the  bar 
trade  is  a  substantial  part  of  the  income.  My  hotels 
would  pay  handsomely  without  selling  a  drop,  if  I 
could  only  hold  the  custom." 

"Which  means  that  most  people  who  travel  want  a 
good  deal  of  liquid  refreshment,  and  won't  go  where 
it  is  n't  to  be  had  ? " 

"Not  at  all.  Most  of  my  guests  drink  very  little, 
and  many  of  them  nothing.  It  costs  about  as  much 
to  run  a  train  half  full  of  passengers  as  if  it  were 
crowded,  does  n't  it  ? " 

"I  should  think  so." 

"  And  the  receipts  are  only  half  as  large.  It 's 
much  the  same  with  a  hotel.  Whether  it 's  full  or 
half  full  does  n't  make  twenty  per  cent,  difference  in 
expenses,  and  it  makes  a  hundred  per  cent,  difference 
in  receipts.  Take  the  Apsleighshire  House.  With 
two  hundred  guests  the  gross  receipts  are  about  eight 
hundred  dollars  a  day,  and  the  net  profits  about  two 


THE  LOCKOUT  95 

hundred.  With  only  a  hundred  guests  the  daily  re 
ceipts  are  about  four  hundred  dollars,  and  the  expenses 
about  four  hundred  and  eighty.  There  's  nothing  for 
me  to  do  but  shut  up  my  houses." 

"I  see." 

"  Most  people  away  from  home  like  a  glass  of  wine 
or  beer  at  the  table  when  they  feel  like  it,  or  a  night 
cap  when  they  go  to  bed.  Whether  they  care  much 
for  it  or  not,  they  resent  being  refused,  and  go  away 
mad  and  talk  against  the  house.  It  's  human  nature. 
Then,  every  one  's  especially  liable  to  ailments  away 
from  home,  and  wants  to  feel  that  he  can  get  a  little 
whisky  or  something  of  that  kind  without  calling  in  a 
doctor  he  does  n't  know.  There  's  another  class— an 
important  one:  nine  tenths  of  the  men  and  women 
who  never  drink  won't  patronize  a  temperance  house." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because  a  house  that  's  full  can  afford  to  set  a 
good  table  and  have  everything  up  to  date,  and  a 
house  that  is  n't  can't.  People  who  don't  drink  are 
as  fond  of  good  things  to  eat  as  anybody  is,  and  ex 
pect  as  much  for  their  money." 

"  I  'm  sure  of  that,  Mr.  Denman.  I  >ve  reported  all 
sorts  of  banquets,  and  know  that  for  eating  the  par 
sons  take  the  cake." 

"  You  '11  notice,"  continued  Denman,  "  that  the  es 
timates  I  Ve  given,  in  supposing  the  hundred  guests 
spend  half  as  much  as  the  two  hundred,  leave  bar  re 
ceipts  entirely  out  of  account.  As  a  rule,  people  who 
spend  money  for  drink  spend  for  other  extras,  and 
there  's  a  big  margin  of  profit  in  all  kinds  of  extras. 
Of  course  I  don't  deny  that  the  bar  receipts  are  quite 


96  THE  STAND-BY 

an  item ;  but  they  alone  don't  cut  much  figure  in  the 
difference  between  a  handsome  profit  and  a  heavy 
loss." 

"  Yes  j  I  see  now  just  how  it  is." 

"  Of  course  you  do.  I  've  been  in  the  hotel  business 
twenty-five  years,  and  think  I  know  as  much  about  it 
as  the  ministers  do.  It  would  cost  several  thousand 
dollars  a  month  more  to  run  my  houses  according  to 
law  than  it  would  to  let  them  stand  idle ;  that 's  why 
I  closed  them." 

"Mr.  Denman,"  said  the  reporter,  "if  people  had 
understood  this  matter,  they  would  n't  have  blamed 
you." 

"  Of  course  they  would  n't.  No  one  can  expect  me 
to  throw  money  away." 

"I  shall  want  to  make  a  very  careful  report  of 
this  interview,"  continued  the  "  Times  "  man.  "  I  will 
show  it  to  you  for  correction." 

"  I  wish  you  would.  By  the  way,  when  those  cigars 
are  gone,  you  '11  know  where  to  find  more  of  the  same 
kind." 

Denman's  reputation  for  truth  was  good.  He  was 
too  honest  to  lie,  except  as  a  war  measure,  and  too 
shrewd  to  lie  and  be  caught.  His  statement  had  im 
mense  weight  with  the  public.  The  "  Tocsin  "  did  not 
accept  it  as  altogether  true  and  commented  on  it 
severely. 


Ill 

"I  SHALL  HATE  YOU" 

TSLEIGHSHIRE  people  already  talked 
about  Craigin,  as  they  long  had  about 
Denman,  as  every  one  talks  about  noted 
statesmen,  generals,  and  pugilists.  He 
still  frequented  the  house  on  Apsleigh  Avenue.  As 
the  speaker  behind  the  door  had  said,  the  old  man 
was  disposed  to  bear  a  great  deal  of  prodding  before 
turning  on  the  young  fellow  who  had  saved  his  life. 
His  good  will  was  not  yet  changed  to  hate,  and  his 
respect  increased  as  his  good  will  diminished. 

"  To  publish  what  he  did  to-day,  and  sit  here  with 
Isabel  and  wife  and  me  playing  whist,  like  one  of  the 
family— it 's  the  coolest  thing  I  ever  saw !  "  said  the 
old  brewer  to  himself.  He  was  so  lost  in  admiration 
that  he  lost  the  trick. 

Isabel,  Grace  Wyman,  Mr.  Hobbs,  Grace's  lover, 
and  Craigin  played  lawn-tennis  together  one  afternoon 
not  quite  two  months  after  the  closing  of  the  hotels. 
When  refreshments  were  served  Miss  Wyman  and  Mr. 
Hobbs  not  unnaturally  found  themselves  at  one  end 
7  97 


98  THE   STAND-BY 

of  the  tennis-court,  and  Isabel  and  Craigin  at  the 
other. 

"  We  Ve  been  good  friends  a  long  time,  have  n't 
we  ? "  said  Isabel,  putting  down  her  plate,  and  abruptly 
changing  the  topic  of  conversation. 

"  Yes,77  replied  Craigin ;  "  three  years,  counting  from 
the  boat-race." 

"  It  seems  such  a  pity  we  must  be  enemies !  1 7m 
more  sorry  than  I  can  tell,  but  it  can't  be  helped." 

" Can't  be  helped?" 

"  You  think  your  course  is  right  and  won't  flinch 
a  hair,  and  this  is  hardly  the  beginning.  Papa 's 
thought  the  World  of  you,  in  spite  of  all  you  Ve  said 
and  done ;  but  it  can't  last  much  longer.  He  '11  hate 
you  pretty  soon ;  then  I  shall  hate  you  too." 

Her  bearing  was  proud  and  firm,  but  her  bosom 
swelled,  and  Craigin  thought  he  heard  a  faint  sound 
like  the  choking  back  of  a  sob. 

"Hate  me,  right  or  wrong?"  he  said. 

"  Yes ;  right  or  wrong." 

"Right  or  wrong?"  repeated  Craigin. 

"Papa's  friends  shall  be  my  friends,  and  his  ene 
mies  my  enemies,  right  or  wrong.  I  wanted  to  say 
this,"  she  continued  before  he  could  answer,  "because 
there  's  another  thing  I  must  say  before  it 's  too  late. 
It 's  this :  I  know  there  is  n't  anything  cowardly  or 
dishonorable  about  you,  and  when  papa  and  I  hate 
you,  we  '11  give  you  good,  square,  honest  hate.  One 
can't  hate  an  enemy  one  despises." 

"  I  'm  sure—"  began  Craigin. 

She  interrupted  him  with  a  question.  "Do  you 
believe  in  presentiments  ? " 


"I  SHALL  HATE  YOU"  99 

"I  don't  know.     Why?" 

"I  do.  I  can't  account  for  them— not  entirely. 
All  I  know  is,  mine  come  to  pass.  Two  years  ago, 
when  you  first  came  to  Apsleigh,  I  ha4  a  presentiment 
that  you  and  papa  would  be  enemies  ;  it  's  never  left 
me.  I  would  n't  believe  it,  because  you  had  saved 
papa's  life— and  because  I  did  n't  want  to ;  but  it 's 
coming  true.  There  's  going  to  be  a  terrible  fight. 
It  won't  end  this  year,  perhaps  not  next— and  papa  '11 
break  you." 

"  Is  that  last  a  presentiment  too  ?" 

"  Are  you  stronger  than  the  railroad  company  was  ? 
It  tried  to  crush  papa.  Where  is  it  now  ?  In  his  box 
at  the  bank." 

"  Suppose  he  does  break  me  ?  what  of  it  ?  Men  must 
be  broken,  and  hearts  too,  that  right  may  triumph." 

Isabel  looked  him  full  in  the  face,  and  after  glanc 
ing  at  the  couple  who  had  forgotten  everything  but 
each  other,  said  solemnly :  "  It  is  n't  right !  It  's 
wrong !  It 's  wicked !  It 's  worse  than  wicked ;  it 's 
mean  !  I  don't  like  the  liquor  business— that  is  n't  it 
—I  hate  it— but— have  you  ever  read  about  the  mas 
sacre  of  St.  Bartholomew  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"The  Huguenots  and  Catholics  were  living  to 
gether,  just  the  same  as  people  lived  together  here 
before  you  came,  trading,  visiting,  marrying,  making 
money,  having  a  good  time,  when  all  at  once,  at  the 
tolling  of  a  great  bell,  the  Catholics  turned  on  the 
Huguenots  and  cut  their  throats,  men,  women,  and 
little  children.  Was  that  a  fair  way  to  put  down 
heresy  ? " 


100  THE  STAND-BY 

"No;  it  wasn't." 

"  It 's  the  way  people  are  treating  papa.  He  's  been 
selling  whisky  and  making  beer  ever  since  I  was  born. 
They  've  encouraged  him  to  put  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  dollars  into  the  business  ;  they  've  said  what  a  fine 
thing  it  was  for  Apsleigh  to  have  it  in  the  hands  of  a 
man  who  could  regulate  it  as  he  has  ;  and  they  've  stood, 
hat  in  hand,  begging  for  his  money.  They  've  got 
it,  ministers  and  all,  for  their  Reform  Club,  for  their 
churches,  for  everything  they  call  good— more  than 
any  other  ten  men  in  town  have  given ;  to  poor  folks, 
that  needed  kind  words  and  a  helping  hand,  more  than 
any  other  hundred  men  have  given;  and  now  they 
say  it  's  blood-money,  and  are  trying  to  rob  him  of 
it.  Ever  since  I  can  remember  it 's  been  nothing  but 
praises  of  papa.  He  's  had  all  he  could  do  to  refuse 
the  honors  they  wanted  to  give  him.  They  'd  have 
made  him  governor,  member  of  Congress,  United 
States  senator,  if  he  'd  only  consented ;  and  now  he  's 
John  Denman,  the  criminal,  and  they  're  snarling  at  his 
heels  like  a  pack  of  curs  round  a  lion.  Why  did  n't 
they  do  as  you  did— let  him  understand  in  the  first 
place  that  they  did  n't  like  his  business  and  would 
crush  it  out  if  they  could  ?  Because  they  did  n't  dare 
to.  That 's  why  papa  and  I  respect  you  and  despise 
them.  That 's  why  I  say  papa  '11  break  you— because 
they  '11  run  away  by  and  by,  like  the  cowards  they 
are,  and  leave  you  alone.  I  shall  stand  with  papa  to 
the  end.  I  'd  fight  them  if  I  were  he.  I  hate  the 
business,  but  I  'd  fight  them  just  the  same.  There ! 
I  've  said  what  I  wanted  to  !  "  A  touch  of  her  father's 
iron  will  half  repressed  the  tremor  of  her  voice  as  she 


"i  SHALL 

added,  "  I  'm  glad  it  >s  said,  for  we  sha'n't  be  on  speak 
ing  terms  much  longer.  Now  let  7s  beat  Mr.  Hobbs 
and  Grace." 

Craigin  stayed  to  dinner  and  played  a  rubber  of 
whist,  after  which  Denman,  for  the  first  time,  intro 
duced  the  subject  on  which  they  differed  so  widely. 

"  Do  you  know,"  he  said,  "  that  the  new  Unitarian 
church  was  built  to  promote  crime  ?  " 

"Why,  no  !  "  replied  Craigin.  "But  I  understand 
you  gave  twenty  thousand  dollars  toward  building  it." 

"Yes;  to  promote  the  crimes  perpetrated  there 
every  Sunday.  You  and  your  minister  and  Henry 
Harnett,  and  a  lot  more  of  the  law-and-order  people 
of  this  city,  are  liable  to  fine  and  imprisonment  for 
blasphemy.  There  's  one  of  the  old  blue-laws  left 
over  in  this  State,  entitled  <  An  Act  to  Prevent  Blas 
phemy/  that  makes  it  a  crime  to  deny  the  divinity  of 
Christ.  What  would  all  you  Unitarians  do  if  you 
should  be  prosecuted  as  criminals  for  worshiping  God 
decently,  according  to  the  dictates  of  your  own  con 
sciences  ? " 

"We  'd  say  the  law  is  an  outrage  against  human 
rights.  We  'd  appeal  to  the  constitutional  guaranties 
of  religious  liberty." 

"  Suppose  the  courts  should  take  the  same  position 
they  have  in  regard  to  certain  other  rights  ?  Suppose 
they  should  say, l  It  is  n't  a  question  of  religious  liberty 
at  all.  Fear  of  hell-fire  keeps  the  masses  from  vice 
and  crime.  Unitarians  don't  believe  in  hell-fire,  and 
so  they  're  dangerous  to  public  morals,  to  good  govern 
ment,  to  the  very  existence  of  free  institutions,  and 
must  be  suppressed.  It 's  a  matter  clearly  within  the 


102  !«<  "..  !£HE~  -STAND-BY 


police  power  of  the  State,  for  self-preservation  is  the 
first  law  of  States/" 

"  Then  we  'd  say  that  all  men  are  endowed  by  their 
Creator  with  certain  inalienable  rights  ;  that  higher 
than  any  finite  court  or  law  or  constitution  is  the 
primary,  eternal,  and  inalienable  right  of  man  to  think 
for  himself  on  the  great  questions  of  God  and  immor 
tality,  and  to  speak  his  convictions  with  decent  regard 
for  the  rights  and  feelings  of  others." 

"Which  would  be  defying  the  law?" 

"Yes." 

"  Resisting  it  by  force,  if  necessary?" 

"  Yes  ;  if  there  were  a  fighting  chance  of  success." 

"You  mean  that  it  would  justify  taking  up  arms, 
killing  people,  bringing  on  civil  war  ?  " 

"  Yes  j  all  the  horrors  of  a  religious  war  if  there 
were  a  fighting  chance  of  success,  not  useless,  hope 
less  bloodshed  and  misery." 

"  That  would  be  rebellion—  treason  ?  " 

"  Yes,  technically,  if  it  failed  j  revolution  if  it  suc 
ceeded  j  a  patriotic  duty  in  either  case." 

"  Well,"  said  Denman,  "  you  're  the  squarest  man  I 
know.  You  've  seen  all  the  time  what  I  was  driving 
at,  and  have  n't  hedged  a  bit.  Your  position  in  this 
matter  is  mine  on  the  liquor  question.  This  old  law, 
that  's  been  on  the  statute-book  for  a  couple  of  hun 
dred  years,  has  been  used  once  since  I  can  remember 
to  quiet  a  loud,  foul-mouthed  blasphemer  who  shocked 
everybody  ;  but  only  a  fanatic  would  dream  of  enforc 
ing  it  against  those  who  express  religious  opinions  in 
a  decent  way.  The  people  of  this  State  would  n't 
stand  such  an  outrage  twenty-four  hours.  The  pro- 


"I  SHALL  HATE  YOU"  103 

hibitory  law  answers  a  like  purpose.  It  does  well 
enough  to  shut  up  low  dives,  to  keep  men  from  selling 
to  drunkards  and  children  j  but  the  fact  that  one  man  in 
a  hundred  eats  too  much  pie  or  drinks  too  much  beer 
does  n't  give  the  State  a  moral  right  to  take  pie  or 
beer  away  from  the  other  ninety-nine.  I  know  the 
courts  in  this  State  say  it  's  within  the  police  power, 
the  same  as  the  courts  of  the  Inquisition  said  religious 
opinions  were;  but  higher  than  any  finite  court  or 
law  or  constitution  is  the  primary,  eternal,  and  in 
alienable  right  of  man  to  eat  and  drink  in  moderation, 
with  decent  regard  for  the  rights  and  feelings  of  others. 
There  are  tens  of  thousands  of  better  men  than  I  am, 
men  who  have  no  pecuniary  interests  at  stake,  who 
believe,  as  I  do,  that  a  prohibitory  law  is  such  an  out 
rageous  and  intolerable  meddling  with  personal  liberty 
that  anything  necessary  to  resist  it  is  justifiable.'7 

"  I  think  I  understand  how  you  look  at  it,  Mr.  Den- 
man.  1 7ve  never  doubted  your  sincerity." 

"  And  I  've  never  doubted  yours.  I  'm  sure  I  'd 
feel  just  the  same  if  I  had  n't  a  dollar  at  stake ;  but  I 
was  induced  to  invest  hundreds  of  thousands  on  the 
general  understanding  that  the  law  was  only  intended 
to  prevent  abuses,  and  I  've  always  done  all  I  could 
to  keep  the  business  respectable.  I  had  a  hard  strug 
gle  at  first,  but  for  twenty-five  years  'most  everything 
I  've  touched  has  turned  to  gold,  and  I  could  lose  the 
money  I  've  got  tied  up  in  this  business  without  feel 
ing  it.  I  don't  care  much  about  the  money,  but  I 
won't  be  robbed  of  it.  I  think  I  've  a  right  to  act  as 
the  Unitarians  of  this  State  would  act  if  they  were 
prosecuted  for  their  religious  opinions.  I  respect 


104  THE  STAND-BY 

you  more  than  I  do  'most  any  one  I  know  j  we  've 
been  good  friends ;  I  owe  you  my  life ;  and  I  want  to 
tell  you  fair  and  plain  that  if  this  thing  goes  on  I 
sha'n't  shrink  from  necessary  war  measures.  I  'm 
outside  the  pale  of  the  law,  and  of  course  you  '11 
understand  that,  if  I  were  to  be  bound  by  what  you 
might  consider  fair  fighting,  I  'd  be  helpless.  It  's 
only  ten  o'clock,  and  I  guess  the  cook  >s  fixing  some 
thing  nice  to  eat ;  let 's  have  another  rubber  to  get  up 
an  appetite." 

When  Craigin  went  home,  two  hours  later,  Isabel 
bade  him  good  night  with  a  steady  voice.  As  soon 
as  he  was  gone  the  proud  girl  flung  herself  on  her  bed 
and  burst  into  uncontrollable  sobs. 

"  It 's  the  last- time,"  she  moaned,  "  the  last  time  we 
shall  ever  meet  as  friends.  It  killed  Harry,  and  now 
—it  '11  break  his  heart  and  mine !  " 


IV 

THE   TEETH   OF   THE   LAW 

|HE  executive  committee  held  many  sessions 
during  the  two  months  of  quiet  that  fol 
lowed  the  seizure  of  Denman's  liquors. 
Strickland  was  often  called.  In  the  begin 
ning  he  had  said  he  would  attend  if  sent  for,  and  not 
otherwise.  He  dwelt  constantly  on  the  necessity  for 
evidence.  The  sum  and  substance  of  his  counsel  was, 
how  to  get  it. 

"  I  don't  want  to  hire  detectives,  if  I  can  help  it,"  he 
said.  "  They  ?re  expensive,  and  I  don't  like  'em.  We 
can't  count  on  topers ;  they  all  lie.  If  they  tell  the 
truth,  a  jury  won't  believe  'em.  It  is  n't  my  duty  to 
go  hunting  for  evidence,  and  I  won't  do  it.  There  's 
a  good  deal  to  be  had  without  hunting.  The  internal- 
revenue  collector's  books  are  evidence  against  those 
who  have  paid  the  United  States  tax,  and  they  all 
have.  The  books  of  the  freight  offices  will  show  the 
transportation  of  liquors  in  barrels,  to  whom  delivered, 
and  when.  The  truckmen,  if  they  don't  lie,  will  fur 
nish  evidence  of  the  same  kind.  The  records  of  the 
express  office  will  show  the  delivery  of  the  more  ex- 

105 


106  THE  STAND-BY 

pensive  liquors,  that  come  in  smaller  packages.  All 
the  employees  at  the  saloons,  and  most  of  the  em 
ployees  and  permanent  guests  at  the  hotels,  have  seen 
the  law  violated  daily.  Some  of  them  will  tell  the 
truth.  Bars  and  bar  fixtures  were  found  at  all  of  the 
places.  Denman  had  forty  thousand  dollars'  worth 
of  liquors  on  hand.  It  is  n't  reasonable  to  suppose  he 
had  all  that  for  private  use.  All  this  and  more  can 
be  had  without  much  hunting." 

"  I  should  think  it  ought  to  be  enough,"  remarked 
Dr.  Bradford. 

"  We  want  the  cases  so  strong,"  replied  Strickland, 
"  that  a  jury  can't  say  *  Not  guilty '  without  perjury 
plain  as  sunlight.  Systematic  work  will  make  'em  so. 
Every  business  man  knows  enough  to  hang  half  the 
dealers  in  town,  if  it  were  murder  instead  of  liquor- 
selling.  If  you  ask  'em  about  it,  they  're  dumb  as 
oysters,  but  among  themselves  they  talk.  The  liquor 
men  are  talking  all  the  time.  Denman  talks.  He 
pitched  into  one  of  you  about  meddling  with  his  busi 
ness,— an  admission  of  guilt,— and  he  's  been  inter 
viewed  by  the  press.  One  thing  leads  to  another— a 
rill  to  a  brook,  a  brook  to  a  river,  a  river  to  an  ocean. 
There  's  no  limit  to  the  evidence  that  half  a  dozen 
shrewd,  quiet  men  can  accumulate  in  a  few  weeks." 

From  a  carefully  prepared  list  of  thirty  names  half 
a  dozen  men  were  selected,  the  fidelity,  discretion,  and 
opportunities  of  each  being  a  subject  of  anxious  de 
bate.  Some  were  men  of  social  position;  not  one 
would  have  done  detective  work  for  pay.  The  work 
given  them  did  not  interfere  with  their  ordinary  busi 
ness.  It  was  to  keep  their  ears  open,  note  down  every 


THE  TEETH  OF  THE  LAW  107 

night  what  they  had  heard  during  the  day,  together 
with  time,  place,  circumstances,  and  the  names  of  all 
present,  and  report  to  Strickland  once  a  week.  At 
first  their  notes  were  enormous  in  quantity  and  almost 
worthless  in  quality,  for  they  had  no  idea  of  what  was 
legal  evidence  and  what  was  not  j  but  instruction  set 
them  right,  and  before  six  weeks  had  elapsed  the  re 
sults  far  exceeded  expectations.  It  was  no  light  task 
to  systematize  evidence  collected  in  this  way;  but 
under  Strickland's  supervision  the  executive  commit 
tee  did  it  thoroughly.  Thirty-nine  little  books  were 
written,  one  for  each  defendant  or  firm.  Each  con 
tained  the  names  of  the  witnesses  in  the  order  in  which 
it  was  expected  they  would  testify.  Under  each  name 
was  an  abstract  of  the  evidence  which  it  was  expected 
the  witness  would  give.  Every  book  was  carefully 
indexed  for  instant  reference.  The  list  of  witnesses, 
numbering  several  hundred,  was  mainly  taken  from 
the  respectable  classes,  and  included  a  large  sprin 
kling  of  the  elite  of  Apsleigh— women  as  well  as 
men.  At  the  same  time  another  little  book  was  in 
process  of  compilation— a  digest  of  judicial  decisions 
and  authorities  bearing  upon  all  questions  liable 
to  arise. 

At  length  Strickland  stopped  crying  for  more  evi 
dence.  "  Four  of  the  defendants,"  he  said,  "  have  left 
the  State  for  good.  Against  all  but  one  or  two  of  the 
rest  we  Ve  got  such  a  mass  of  testimony  as  I  believe 
was  never  yet  laid  before  a  jury  in  a  liquor  case.  If 
this  work  had  been  done  to  begin  with— if  it  had  n't 
been  for  Harps  well— I  think  we  ?d  stand  a  chance  to 
win  the  fight." 


108  THE  STAND-BY 

" Don't  you  think  so  now?"  exclaimed  several  at 
once. 

"  No ;  people  believe  the  city  will  be  ruined.  Prop 
erty-owners  are  scared  to  death  j  business  men  are 
afraid  of  bankruptcy,  working-men  of  hunger,  and  pa 
triotic  men  of  hurting  the  Republican  party.  They 
won't  pull  together  in  anything  as  they  used  to  do. 
Their  hands  are  against  their  neighbors,  and  there  's 
hate  in  their  hearts.  All  this  is  laid  at  our  doors. 
Public  sentiment  is  turning  against  us.  Denman  is 
growing  stronger  every  day.  A  political  campaign  is 
at  hand.  The  Democrats  will  declare  for  a  license  law. 
Republicans  are  all  at  sixes  and  sevens.  The  term  of 
court  will  be  just  before  election,  and  nothing  can  keep 
politics  out  of  the  jury-room.  We  're  beaten  sure  as 
death,  unless  you  dare—" 

"Dare  what?"  exclaimed  Dr.  Bradford,  as  Strick 
land  paused  and  scanned  the  faces  of  the  listening 
group. 

11  Dare  cut  loose  from  precedent  and  fight  Denman 
as  he  '11  fight  you.  It  's  the  only  chance  of  victory. 
I  've  been  thinking  it  over  for  a  couple  of  months, 
and  looking  up  the  decisions  for  a  hundred  years 
back.  The  principle  is  established.  I  can't  see  why  it 
should  n't  be  applied  to  liquor  cases  as  well  as  to  other 
cases.  I  've  made  up  my  mind  that  the  teeth  of  the 
prohibitory  law  have  never  yet  been  shown." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? "  cried  the  committee,  almost 
as  one  man. 

"  I  mean  this,"  replied  Strickland :  "  that  each  day 
for  a  year  back  on  which  a  man  has  been  a  common 
seller  of  spirituous  liquors  he  has  committed  a  distinct 


THE  TEETH  OF  THE  LAW  109 

offense,  for  which  he  may  be  fined  one  hundred  dollars 
and  be  imprisoned  six  months  ;  that  each  day  for  a 
year  back  on  which  the  same  man  has  kept  spirituous 
liquors  for  sale  he  has  committed  another  distinct 
offense,  for  which  he  may  be  fined  fifty  dollars  ;  that 
each  day  for  a  year  back  on  which  the  same  man  has 
kept  malt  liquors,  wine,  or  cider  for  sale  he  has  com 
mitted  still  another  distinct  offense,  for  which  he  may 
be  fined  ten  dollars  ;  that  each  sale  of  spirituous  liquors 
for  a  year  back  is  still  another  distinct  offense,  pun 
ishable  by  a  fine  of  fifty  dollars;  that  each  sale  of 
malt  liquors,  wine,  or  cider  for  a  year  back  is  still  an 
other  distinct  offense,  punishable  by  a  fine  of  ten  dol 
lars;  and' that  on  each  offense  laid  after  conviction  of 
a  prior  offense  the  penalty  may  be  increased  from  two 
to  fivefold.  Furthermore,  that  on  each  offense  charged 
the  man  may  be  held  to  furnish  bail  in  the  sum  of  not 
less  than  two  hundred,  and  not  more  than  four  hun 
dred,  dollars.  Leaving  individual  sales  and  what  are 
known  as  subsequent  offenses  entirely  out  of  account, 
a  man  may,  in  possible  contemplation  of  law,  if  my 
position  is  sound,  be  imprisoned  for  a  good  deal  more 
than  one  hundred  years,  be  fined  tens  of  thousands  of 
dollars,  and  be  held  to  bail  in  several  hundred  thou 
sands.  The  liquor  traffic  has  practically  ceased  for 
the  past  two  months.  The  next  term  of  court,  from 
which  the  statute  of  limitation  would  date,  is  three 
months  away.  This  disposes  of  five  months.  As  to 
the  other  seven,  those  books  on  the  table  cover  every 
day,  Sundays  excepted." 

"  This  looks  pretty  savage !  "  exclaimed  one  of  the 
committee. 


110  THE  STAND-BY 

"It  is  savage/'  replied  Strickland.  "It  's  war. 
You  know  what  Sherman  said :  '  War  >s  hell,  and  the 
more  it  's  hell  the  sooner  it  7s  over.'  There  are  two 
ways  of  carrying  it  on :  McClellan's  way,  and  Grant's 
way— make-believe,  and  the  real  thing." 

"You  propose  to  fine  these  rumsellers  fifty  thou 
sand  dollars  each,  and  shut  them  up  for  life  j  is  that 
it  ? "  inquired  the  Methodist  member. 

"  Not  if  I  can  help  it.  I  don't  want  any  one  fined 
or  imprisoned.  My  idea  is  to  let  them  choose  between 
surrender  on  such  conditions  that  they  can  be  clapped 
right  into  jail  if  they  go  into  the  business  again,  and 
taking  their  chances  with  the  law  as  the  court  may 
hold  it,  and  the  evidence  piled  on  that  table  a  foot 
deep." 

"Do  you  think  Denman  will  surrender?"  inquired 
Dr.  Bradford. 

"  Denman  surrender !  "  exclaimed  Strickland.  "  Not 
while  the  world  stands !  But  the  rest  will  have  to, 
and  the  decks  will  be  cleared  for  the  fight." 

"  This  is  a  matter  to  be  slept  on,"  said  Dr.  Bradford. 
"  I  move  we  adjourn  till  to-morrow  evening." 

On  the  following  evening  the  committee  assembled 
with  unusual  promptness,  but  no  one  seemed  in  haste 
to  take  up  the  question  they  had  met  to  decide. 

"I  did  n't  like  Strickland's  slur  on  McClellan," 
remarked  the  only  Democrat  on  the  committee. 
"McClellan  was  a  loyal  man  and  a  better  general 
than  Grant.  It 's  strange  how  politics  blinds  men !  " 

"  Strickland  is  unreasonable  in  his  prejudices,"  re 
marked  the  Eev.  Francis  Pemberton,  whose  allegiance 
to  the  Republican  party  was  wavering,  and  who  was 


THE  TEETH  OF   THE  LAW  111 

classed  as  doubtful  in  the  canvass.  "  He  believes  in 
prohibition,  and  has  ten  times  the  f  eelin  g  against  a  third- 
party  Prohibitionist  that  he  has  against  a  rumseller." 

"  So  have  I ! "  exclaimed  the  Hon.  Silas  Bean,  who 
was  given  to  a  plainness  of  speech  that  was  often  em 
barrassing.  "  The  rumseller  only  fights  for  his  own 
interests,  and  the  third-party  man  stabs  his  friends  in 
the  back." 

"  Gentlemen,  I  think  it  is  time  to  call  this  meeting 
to  order,"  said  Dr.  Bradford,  suddenly  convinced  of 
the  fact  by  the  turn  the  conversation  was  taking. 

After  some  debate,  the  committee  decided  to  adopt 
Strickland's  suggestions.  They  sent  for  him,  and  spent 
the  night  in  arranging  details.  About  a  week  later  a 
truckman  brought  some  large  boxes  to  the  residence 
of  one  of  their  number,  and  they  began  to  hold  pro 
tracted  sessions  there.  These  sessions  were  peculiar. 
There  was  no  debate  and  little  conversation.  As  many 
members  as  could  sat  at  a  large  table,  and  the  rest  sat 
at  smaller  tables  near  by.  Each  was  armed  with  a 
pen.  On  one  end  of  the  large  table  was  a  pile  of 
printed  blanks.  A  seal  had  been  affixed  to  each  blank, 
and  on  each  a  certain  month  and  day  of  the  month 
had  been  written  in  three  places.  This  work  had  been 
done  by  two  young  ladies  who  could  keep  a  secret, 
and  who  were  spending  ten  hours  a  day  up-stairs  in 
preparing  more  blanks.  The  member  nearest  the  pile 
took  a  blank,  wrote  his  name  on  it,  and  passed  it  along. 
His  neighbor  signed  it,  and  passed  it  along.  Thus  it 
went  from  man  to  man  until  it  bore  the  names  of  all 
the  active  members  of  the  committee.  This  process 
continued  several  hours  at  a  time  and  several  days  in 


112  THE  STAND-BY 

succession.  Occasionally,  when  Strickland  dropped 
in,  the  members  held  up  their  right  hands  and  swore 
that  what  they  had  signed  was,  in  their  belief,  true. 
Then  Strickland  wrote  his  name  in  two  places  on  each 
blank.  After  he  had  signed  them,  a  young  lady  folded 
them  and  made  them  up  into  little  packages  with 
rubber  bands  around  them.  On  the  back  of  each  blank 
was  a  printed  formula,  showing,  among  other  things, 
the  exact  nature  of  the  charge,  and  against  whom 
made.  For  example,  there  were  three  packages  labeled 
"  October "  on  which  Denman's  name  was  printed : 
one  containing  complaints  charging  him  with  being  a 
common  seller,  another  with  keeping  spirituous  liquors 
for  sale,  and  a  third  with  keeping  malt  liquors  for  sale. 
Each  package  contained  one  complaint  for  each  week 
day  in  the  month.  There  were  like  packages  against 
thirty-four  other  individuals  and  firms,  and  Novem 
ber  was  a  repetition  of  October,  and  so  on  for  seven 
months.  In  all  there  were  about  seven  hundred  pack 
ages  and  about  eighteen  thousand  complaints.  The 
manual  labor  of  writing  one's  name  so  many  times 
was  no  trifle,  and  every  now  and  then  a  member  would 
get  up,  stretch  his  legs,  and  rub  his  stiff  fingers. 

"Have  you  any  idea,"  asked  the  Rev.  Chauncey 
Watkins,  at  one  of  the  first  of  these  sessions,  "that 
a  tenth  of  these  papers  will  be  used  ? " 
"  No,"  replied  Strickland ;  "  I  have  n't." 
"  Then  what  's  the  use  of  having  so  many  ? " 
"  If  we  have  them,  we  sha'n't  use  them ;  if  we  don't 
have  them,  we  shall  be  beaten  for  want  of  them.    Our 
only  chance  is  to  be  overwhelmingly  prepared  at  every 
point." 


THE   TEETH  OF  THE  LAW  113 

"  But  most  of  these  men  can't  stand  fifty  complaints. 
There  's  O'Leary;  he  can't  stand  ten.  What  's  the 
need  of  five  hundred  ? " 

"  Mr.  Watkins,"  said  Strickland,  "  what  makes  Den- 
man  the  power  he  is  ? " 

"Why,  I  suppose  it  's  his  money  and  brains  and 
courage." 

"  Yes,  and  one  thing  more,  Mr.  Watkins :  he  never 
goes  back  on  any  one  who  stands  by  him.  He  won't 
leave  his  old  guard  to  die  alone,  as  Napoleon  did  at 
Waterloo.  He  would  n't  do  such  a  thing  for  a  throne, 
and  men  will  die  for  a  man  like  that.  If  there  's  a 
chance  to  save  his  friends,  he  '11  take  it ;  if  there  is  n't, 
he  '11  tell  'em  to  make  their  peace  and  leave  him  to 
fight  it  out  alone." 

"  So  you  think,"  observed  Watkins,  "  that  O'Leary 
means  Denman  ? " 

"  Yes  j  and  even  Denman  can't  bear  up  under  eigh 
teen  thousand  prosecutions." 

"  I  hope  they  have  n't  any  idea  of  what  we  're  doing," 
said  Dr.  Bradford.  "When  Mrs.  Skidmore  went 
through  the  hall  awhile  ago  the  door  was  open,  and 
she  saw  the  papers  piled  up  on  the  floor." 

"Well,  doctor,"  said  the  Unitarian  minister,  giving 
his  clerical  brother  a  sly  poke,  "it  '11  be  as  long  as 
eternal  punishment  before  they  guess." 

u  Doctor,"  said  Strickland,  as  the  meeting  broke  up, 
"  I  want  to  smoke  before  going  home  j  won't  you  come 
into  my  office  and  look  on  ? " 

"  I  wish  Craigin  was  a  little  older,"  remarked  Brad 
ford,  accepting  the  invitation.  "He  ?d  be  our  Den 
man." 


THE  STAND-BY 

"  He  's  'most  as  old  as  Napoleon  was  when  he  crossed 
the  Alps,  older  than  Pitt  was  when  he  became  prime 
minister/'  replied  Strickland.  "  Before  this  thing  ends 
—God  knows  how,  I  don't— we  '11  all  be  following  his 
lead,  as  the  liquor  men  follow  Denman.  We  'd  be  as 
crazy  as  Harpswell,  doing  what  we  are  now,  if  it  were  n't 
for  his  paper.  We  could  n't  make  it  understood,  and 
we  'd  go  down  in  a  storm  of  public  indignation." 

"  As  far  as  I  can  make  out,"  said  Bradford,  "  neither 
you  nor  Craigin  think  what  we  're  doing  now  is  going 
to  end  the  war  ? " 

"  Craigin  does  n't.  I  would  n't  want  it  known,  for 
it  would  discourage  some  of  the  others.  He  thinks 
we  've  got  to  lose  the  first  campaign." 

"  Why  does  he  think  so  ? " 

"  Because  that  fool  Harpswell  made  delay  ruin,  and 
we  had  to  begin  before  we  were  ready." 

"You  say  you  've  got  all  the  law  and  all  the  evi 
dence  you  want  ? " 

"  Yes ;  I  'm  looking  to  next  term  of  court.  That 's 
as  far  as  I  can  see.  Craigin 's  got  a  longer  head  than 
I  have.  He  's  looking  'way  into  the  future.  His  plan 
is  to  mold  and  fuse  the  temperance  sentiment  of  this 
county  into  one  solid  mass,  to  make  temperance  men 
an  army  instead  of  a  mob,  to  enlist  on  our  side  every 
human  motive,  from  pure  philanthropy  to  greed  of 
gain  and  office.  It  seemed  like  a  chimera  to  me  when 
he  first  spoke  of  it,  but  he  's  studying  it  out  day  and 
night  in  all  its  details,  and  he  believes  it  can  be  done." 


PROSECUTIONS  EXTRAORDINARY 

^HE  complaints  measured  fifteen  bushels  and 
weighed  half  a  ton.  The  battle  was  opened 
by  serving  notice  on  each  defendant  and 
summoning  witnesses  for  the  following 
day.  Hundreds  of  people,  indignant  at  being  sum 
moned  in  liquor  cases,  found  themselves  among  the 
elite  of  the  town,  who  wondered  what  they  were 
wanted  for.  The  court-house  was  crowded.  Even 
standing-room  was  hard  to  get. 

"  I  present  a  complaint  against  Mr.  Denman,"  said 
Strickland. 

It  charged  Denman  with  being  a  common  seller  of 
spirituous  liquors  on  the  day  before  the  date  of  the 
Harpswell  prosecution.  The  names  of  the  signers 
created  a  sensation. 

"  Mr.  Denman  will  plead  not  guilty,  waive  examina 
tion,  and  furnish  bail,"  said  his  counsel. 

"I  have  another  against  Mr.  O'Leary,"  continued 
Strickland. 

Complaints  against  thirty-five  different  parties  were 
disposed  of  in  the  same  manner.  Strickland  took 

115 


116  THE  STAND-BY 

them  from  his  coat  pocket,  and  thus  far  the  defense 
had  no  intimation  that  more  were  coming. 

"  Here  is  a  second  complaint  against  Mr.  Denman." 
And  he  resorted  to  another  pocket.  It  was  exactly 
like  the  first,  except  that  the  offense  was  laid  on  the 
preceding  day. 

"  Let  me  see  that  complaint ! "  exclaimed  Woods. 
"What  does  this  mean?"  he  demanded,  on  looking 
at  it. 

"  What  does  what  mean  ? " 

"  Two  complaints  for  the  same  alleged  offense. 
Everything  printed.  Nothing  in  writing  but  dates  and 
signatures.  How  many  of  these  things  are  there  ? " 

"In  all,  or  against  Mr.  Denman?" 

"  Either— both.'7 

"  Between  five  and  six  hundred  against  Mr.  Den 
man  j  about  eighteen  thousand  in  all." 

A  perceptible  thrill  ran  through  the  court-room. 
Men  and  women  looked  at  Strickland  and  at  each 
other  in  blank  amazement.  Some  of  the  defendants 
turned  pale.  Denman,  always  pale,  betrayed  no  sign 
of  emotion,  except  that  his  teeth  were  set. 

"  Eighteen  thousand !  "  Woods  cried.  "  Preposter 
ous  !  Monstrous  !  Impossible  !  " 

"  I  may  as  well  state  my  position  at  once,"  Strick 
land  said.  He  did  so  in  the  midst  of  a  death-like 
silence.  Then  he  gave  the  authorities  on  which  he 
relied,  reading  slowly  from  his  little  book,  and  waiting 
for  the  judge  and  the  counsel  to  take  minutes  of  vol 
ume  and  page. 

"Suppose  the  law  is  as  you  claim,  and  suppose 
you  persist  in  this  outrage,  where  7s  the  evidence  to 


PROSECUTIONS  EXTRAORDINARY  117 

maintain  eighteen  thousand  prosecutions  ?"  demanded 
Woods. 

"  Here/'  replied  Strickland,  pointing  to  thirty-five 
large,  thin  books  beside  him;  "here,  and  from  this 
cloud  of  witnesses.  I  want  you  to  have  time  to  inves 
tigate  the  law.  I  want  these  defendants  to  understand 
my  position.  I  don't  want  any  of  them  fined  or  im 
prisoned,  but  simply  that  the  lockout  which  is  ruining 
the  town  may  be  ended  and  the  law  obeyed." 

"So  you  make  opening  the  hotels  a  condition  of 
royal  mercy/'  sneered  Woods. 

"  No ;  the  law  has  nothing  to  do  with  closing  the 
hotels  and  systematic  diversion  of  business  to  other 
towns.  You  can  judge  as  well  as  I  can  whether  self- 
interest  will  change  all  this  when  it  is  understood  that 
the  law  must  be  obeyed.  If  you  'd  like  these  matters 
continued  until  to-morrow—'7 

"I  think  it  would  be  well,"  interrupted  the  judge. 
"  I  want  to  examine  the  law  myself." 

Judge  Bond  was  not  in  sympathy  with  the  liquor 
traffic,  but,  like  hundreds  of  other  good  men,  he  was 
strongly  opposed  to  the  methods  which  Strickland 
and  the  executive  committee  had  adopted.  He  was  a 
good  lawyer.  He  was  also  incorruptible,  conscientious, 
and  impartial,  and  everybody  knew  it.  He  adjourned 
court,  determined  to  know,  if  possible,  what  the  law 
was.  He  hunted  up  all  authorities  within  reach,  read 
them  carefully,  some  of  them  several  times,  and  then, 
lighting  his  pipe,  tried  to  consider,  analyze,  and  weigh 
them  from  all  points  of  view. 

Under  the  decisions  it  was  clear  that  one  might  be 
guilty  as  a  common  seller,  as  a  keeper  of  spirituous 

8* 


118  THE  STAND-BY 

liquors,  and  as  a  keeper  of  malt  liquors  all  on  the  same 
day.  The  question  was  whether  he  could  be  guilty  of 
each  of  these  three  distinct  offenses  on  each  day  for 
an  indefinite  period.  No  court,  so  far  as  he  could  find, 
had  ever  decided  that  question.  The  principle,  how 
ever,  had  been  applied  time  out  of  mind  to  common- 
law  nuisances.  Was  there— could  there  be— any  rea 
son  why  it  should  not  equally  apply  to  continuing 
offenses  against  the  prohibitory  law.  The  more  he 
sought  a  logical  answer  in  the  affirmative,  the  harder 
it  seemed  to  find  one.  He  found  decisions  from  which 
the  inferences  were  irresistible.  It  had  been  held  that 
two  prosecutions  could  be  maintained  at  the  same 
term  of  court,  one  for  being  a  common  seller  in  Janu 
ary,  and  another  for  being  one  in  February.  If  two, 
why  not  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  ?  The  law  always 
took  account  of  fractions  of  months  and  of  days,  but 
not  of  fractions  of  days. 

The  next  morning  the  court-room  was  packed  as 
before,  and  the  major  part  of  the  people  stood  outside 
because  they  could  not  get  inside.  If  Strickland's 
legal  position  were  sustained,  the  hearing  would  go 
on ;  if  not,  the  eighteen  thousand  complaints  would  be 
waste  paper.  As  representing  the  affirmative,  he  ex 
pected  to  open  the  argument. 

"  I  won't  trouble  you  now/'  said  the  judge.  "  I  '11 
hear  Brother  Woods." 

The  remark  indicated  that  the  judge  was  strongly 
inclined  to  Strickland's  view.  Woods,  ignoring  the 
judicial  decisions,  made  an  eloquent  speech  on  the 
constitutional  provisions  in  regard  to  unusual  punish 
ments  and  excessive  bail,  and  threatened  the  commit- 


PEOSECUTIONS  EXTRAORDINARY  119 

tee  with  heavy  damages  for  malicious  prosecution. 
Whether  germane  to  the  law  or  not,  it  was  a  stirring 
appeal  to  a  power  mightier  than  law— public  opinion. 

"  I  shall  have  to  rule  against  you/7  said  the  judge. 

"  In  that  case,"  replied  Woods,  "  I  ask  an  adjourn 
ment  till  Monday." 

"  I  think  the  request  is  reasonable,77  Strickland  said. 

"  So  do  I/7  remarked  the  judge. 

"  Somehow/7  said  Woods,  when  the  defendants  and 
their  counsel  met  for  a  conference,  "  somehow  they  7ve 
picked  up  an  almighty  pile  of  evidence.  I  got  a  peep 
at  one  of  those  books.  It  was  written  solid  full  of 
what  the  witnesses  will  swear  to.  They  were  n7t  sum 
moned  for  bluff,  and  they  are  n7t  the  kind  we  can  put 
down  as  liars.77 

"How  do  you  suppose  they  got  it  all?77  inquired 
one  of  the  junior  counsel. 

"  They  have  got  it,  and  the  question  now  is,  what  to 
do  about  it.  In  some  States  we  might  pin  the  wit 
nesses  down  to  dates,  but  the  rule  7s  so  lax  here  that 
dates  don7t  count,  and  Bond  will  stick  to  the  law  of 
this  State  like  bark  to  a  tree.  It  7s  a  dead  open  and 
shut  on  us,  so  far  7s  he  7s  concerned.  It  7s  barely  pos 
sible  a  jury  may  let  us  out,  but  I  don7t  see  how  we  7re 
going  to  tide  it  over  till  it  gets  to  7em.7' 

"  Did  n't  Strickland  say  he  did  n7t  want  any  of  us 
to  go  to  jail  or  pay  a  fine  ? 77  inquired  O'Leary. 

"  Yes,  if  you  711  throw  up  your  hands  and  make  this 
an  infernal  prohibition  town.  He  says  if  you  711  plead 
guilty,  or  nolo,  to  one  complaint  apiece  for  being  com 
mon  sellers,  he  711  have  sentence  suspended  as  long  as 
you  keep  out  of  the  business,  on  the  understanding 


120  THE   STAND-BY 

that  if  you  ever  go  into  it  again  he  '11  have  you  im 
prisoned  on  your  plea,  and  prosecute  you  without 
mercy  for  future  offenses.  You  could  n't  ask  anything 
better,  if  it  were  n't  for  giving  up  the  business.  If 
you  accept,  the  slate  is  sponged,  but  it 's  good-by  sell 
ing  whisky." 

"What  about  the  nuisance  act?"  asked  another 
junior  counsel. 

"  Strickland  won't  stick  for  that.  He  's  found  out 
that  the  old  law  's  a  confounded  sight  worse  than  the 
new." 

During  this  conversation  Denman  had  been  quietly 
figuring.  "  As  I  make  it,"  he  at  length  said,  "  the  bail 
can't  be  less  than  about  four  millions,  nor  more  than 
about  eight ;  is  that  right,  Woods  ? " 

"On  the  whole  grist?  I  should  say  it  must  be 
something  like  that." 

"  And  the  costs  ?    How  much  will  they  be  ? " 

"  On  all  ?    They  '11  be  a  fortune." 

"  One  or  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  ? " 

"  Perhaps  so ;  perhaps  more.  It  's  impossible  to 
tell." 

"  I  would  n't  care  how  much  they  were,  if  we  could 
hold  the  committee  responsible  for  'em.  That  was 
all  bluff,  what  you  said  about  malicious  prosecution, 
was  n't  it,  Woods  ? " 

"Yes." 

"  I  thought  so !  Now,  about  those  costs.  It  seems 
to  me  we  can  use  one  or  two  hundred  thousand  a  great 
deal  better  in  fighting  the  enemy  than  in  paying  costs 
to  the  State." 

"Mr.   Denman,   how   can   we   fight  the   enemy? 


PROSECUTIONS  EXTRAORDINARY  121 

They  've  got  all  the  law.  They  've  piled  up  evidence 
like  the  everlasting  mountains.  They  've  got  us  solid, 
and  you  know  it.  There  's  nothing  we  can  do  but 
surrender." 

"  Surrender ! n  cried  the  old  man,  with  an  oath. 
"  I  '11  die  behind  prison-bars  first !  I  told  my  friends 
here  we  'd  all  stand  together,  and  lick  these  cranks, 
horse,  foot,  and  dragoons,  till  there  was  n't  a  grease 
spot  left  of  'em.  I  'm  going  to  do  it.  They  must 
make  their  peace,  and  let  me  fight  it  out  alone.  When 
it 's  over  they  '11  share  the  victory." 

"  We  won't  do  it !  "  shouted  half  a  dozen. 

"We  'd  be  glad  enough  to  make  our  peace,"  said 
one,  "  but  there  won't  a  man  of  us  leave  you  alone." 

"Not  one  of  us!"  cried  another.  "We  '11  stand 
with  John  Denman  to  the  death !  " 

Every  man  echoed  the  verdict :  "  We  '11  stand  with 
John  Denman  to  the  death !  " 

"  I  knew  it !  I  knew  it !  "  Denman  proudly  exclaimed. 
"  But  if  you  stay  with  me,  it  is  to  the  death.  If  it 
takes  me  to  jail,  it  sha'n't  take  you  there.  You  must 
leave  me  to  save  me.  It  is  n't  deserting  me ;  it 's 

freeing  me  for  the  fight;  and,  by ,  it  will  be  a 

fight  before  I  'm  done  with  'em !  " 

"  Mr.  Denman,"  protested  Woods,  "  they  ;ve  got  the 
law  for  every  point  they  've  taken ;  and  as  to  evidence, 
they  Ve  got  the  representative  men  and  women  of  this 
whole  city.  It 's  sheer  madness  to  stand  out." 

"  That 's  the  way  you  lawyers  talked  about  the  rail 
road.  Law  and  evidence !  I  tell  you  I  '11  lick  'em, 
spite  of  law  and  evidence !  " 

When  convinced  that  it  was  not  deserting  their 


122  THE   STAND-BY 

chief,  the  others  made  their  peace,  as  he  directed.  A 
stenographer  was  on  hand  when  the  hearing  was  re 
sumed.  Strickland  filed  a  second  complaint,  the  one 
offered  before  the  first  adjournment. 

"  We  waive  the  reading,"  said  Woods. 

"  Do  you  waive  examination  also  ? " 

"No." 

The  first  witness  was  a  leading  physician.  He  tes 
tified  that  he  was  called  to  the  Apsleighshire  House, 
took  a  short  cut  through  the  bar-room,  saw  two  bar 
tenders  and  all  the  appurtenances  of  a  bar,  also  six  or 
eight  men  drinking,  and  one  paying  for  the  drinks. 
He  gave  the  names  .of  three  of  the  men.  He  fixed  the 
date  by  the  charge  in  his  fee-book,  which  was  about  a 
month  prior  to  the  date  set  forth  in  the  complaint. 

Woods  strenuously  objected  to  the  evidence,  on  the 
ground  that  it  did  not  apply  to  the  day  in  question 
and  was  too  remote.  He  argued  the  point  at  length, 
and  cited  numerous  decisions  from  other  States. 

"  But  the  decisions  in  this  State—"  began  Strick 
land. 

"  We  're  bound  by  the  law  of  this  State,"  interrupted 
the  judge.  "  I  shall  have  to  admit  the  evidence." 

"  It  's  just  as  I  told  him !  "  muttered  Woods. 

When  the  next  complaint  was  filed  he  growled, 
"  You  might  as  well  put  'em  all  in  together.  We  '11 
waive  reading.  We  don't  want  to  spend  the  summer 
here ! " 

The  papers,  filling  a  large  basket,  were  filed  in 
mass.  Strickland  put  on  witness  after  witness,  to  the 
number  of  more  than  two  hundred.  Most  of  them 
testified  with  extreme  reluctance,  but  bit  by  bit  the 


PROSECUTIONS  EXTRAORDINARY  123 

truth  was  drawn  from  them.  Many  greatly  exceeded 
expectations,  knowing  far  more  than  was  suspected. 
Those  who  would  have  been  inclined  to  lie,  had  the 
cases  depended  on  them  alone,  were  swept  along  by 
the  great  current  of  truth.  All  were  subjected  to  a 
searching  cross-examination,  and  Denman's  stenog 
rapher  took  down  every  word  they  said.  The  hear 
ing  lasted  ten  days.  At  its  close  Denman  was  held  on 
every  charge. 

"In  view  of  the  extraordinary  character  of  these 
proceedings/7  said  the  judge,  "  I  shall  fix  the  bail  as 
low  as  the  law  permits.  You  will  have  to  furnish 
bonds,  Mr.  Denman,  in  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and 
nine  thousand  two  hundred  dollars." 

"It  7s  just  as  I  told  you,  only  more  of  it,"  said 
Woods,  when  the  hearing  was  over.  "  They  >ve  got 
us  solid." 

"  Got  us  solid !  "  exclaimed  Denman.  "  We  know 
what  we  ;ve  got  to  meet." 

If  the  eighteen  thousand  prosecutions  had  struck 
the  liquor-dealers  in  the  full  tide  of  business,  as  might 
have  been  the  case  but  for  HarpswelPs  folly,  and  had 
then  been  followed  by  complete  amnesty  on  surrender, 
the  community  would  have  regarded  it  as  an  extreme 
measure.  To  adopt  such  extreme  measures  against 
men  who  had  stopped  violating  the  law  was  regarded 
by  many  as  an  outrage  that  could  have  no  justifica 
tion.  Denman  was  not  a  man  to  let  a  misunderstand 
ing  of  motives  die  for  want  of  nursing,  and  the  Demo 
crats  were  anxious  to  keep  it  alive  for  purposes  of 
their  own.  The  fight  was  chiefly  between  Republicans. 
The  fortunes  of  the  party  in  State  and  nation  were 


124  THE  STAND-BY 

balanced  to  a  feather's  weight.  The  State  looked  to 
Apsleighshire  for  a  majority,  and  as  the  State  went  so 
might  go  the  Union.  No  wonder  that  thousands  of 
Republicans  stood  aghast  at  the  situation  and  felt 
bitterly  toward  those  who  had  brought  on  dissensions 
at  such  a  crisis.  As  Strickland  had  put  it,  he  believed 
in  the  Republican  party  as  a  Christian  believes  in  the 
church  of  Christ,  and  the  political  situation  troubled 
him  more  than  everything  else— destroyed  his  appetite 
and  drove  sleep  from  his  pillow. 

The  executive  committee  tried  to  stay  the  tide.  The 
fact  that  they  had  to  explain  their  reasons  was  against 
them.  The  ministers  devoted  a  Sunday  to  the  subject, 
thereby  intensifying  discord  in  their  own  congrega 
tions,  while  failing  to  reach  the  great  non-church-going 
community.  But  the  " Tocsin"  reached  thousands 
who  went  neither  to  church  nor  to  mass-meetings.  It 
had  a  stronger  hold  in  the  country  towns  than  in 
Apsleigh  itself.  On  one  page  it  gave  naked  facts ;  on 
another  editorials,  keen,  fearless,  masterful,  that  were 
quoted  and  discussed  far  and  wide.  Every  one  read 
the  "  Tocsin "  •  it  was  outspoken  for  the  enforcement 
of  law.  Every  one  read  the  "Palladium";  it  was 
outspoken  against  it.  The  "  Times  "  was  of  the  her 
maphrodite  gender.  Meanwhile  the  hotels  remained 
closed,  trade  continued  to  fall  off,  a  large  industry 
that  was  expected  to  locate  in  Apsleigh  went  else 
where,  and  people  became  more  and  more  anxious  and 
distressed. 

During  this  period,  and  after  the  surrender  of  all 
the  defendants,  except  Denman,  on  terms  immeasur 
ably  more  far-reaching  and  more  easily  enforced  than 


PROSECUTIONS  EXTRAORDINARY  125 

the  nuisance  act,  Strickland  received  the  following 
letter : 

SIR  :  The  petitions  under  the  nuisance  act  were  made  in  good 
faith.  We  waive  none  of  our  rights  to  have  the  same  enforced. 

Yours  truly, 

EBEN  HARPSWELL. 

"  I  '11  put  that  letter  among  my  curiosities,"  mused 
Strickland;  "and  as  to  the  freak  himself,  I  wish 
Barnum  had  him ! n 


VI 

O'LEAEY 

;R.   CRAIGIN,"  said  O'Leary— though  of 
Irish  parentage,  he  was  an  American  by 
birth,  and  spoke  without  a  brogue— "  I 
'most  wish  you  had  n't  come." 
"  What  makes  you  wish  that  ? " 
"  I  've  hated  you  so.     I  wrote  them  nasty,  unsigned 
letters." 

"  Yes  j  I  knew  that  long  ago." 
"  You  did  ?  "  O'Leary  exclaimed  in  astonishment. 
"  1 7d  seen  your  handwriting,  and  there  were  two  or 
three  expressions  I  'd  heard  you  use.     It 's  no  sort  of 
consequence.     Don't  ever  think  of  them  again." 

"  You  knew  it  all  the  time— and  have  come  to  watch 
with  me  ?  " 

"Just  the  same  as  you  'd  do  by  me  if  I  were  sick 
and  you  were  well." 
"Do  you  mean  that ? " 

"I  know  you  would.    Now,  let  's  not  think  any 
more  about  it." 

Craigin  smoothed  the  sick  man's  pillow,  and  eased 
his  pain  by  changing  his  position.     His  touch  was 

126 


O'LEARY  127 

gentle,  his  hand  cool.  He  had  the  instincts  of  a 
nurse  and  knew  what  to  do.  Most  of  all,  he  was  full 
of  human  sympathy. 

"You  do  for  me  just  like  John  Denman,"  said 
O'Leary.  "He  was  here  all  last  night.  He  's  given 
us  flour  and  sugar,  and  tea  and  coffee,  and  meat,  and 
all  sorts  of  things  to  eat  and  wear,  and  has  paid  the 
rent  for  six  months,  and  the  doctor  and  everything ; 
but  it  is  n't  so  much  that— he  came  himself  and 
watched  all  night  with  me.  He  brought  me  them 
splendid  grapes  from  his  hothouse— brought  'em  him 
self.'7 

O'Leary  had  been  caught  in  a  machine  and  terribly 
mangled.  He  suffered  great  pain,  and  required  a 
change  of  position  every  few  minutes. 

"  I  don't  understand  it  at  all ! "  he  exclaimed,  as 
Craigin,  after  patiently  waiting  on  him  for  hours,  was 
improving  a  quiet  moment  by  feeding  him  grapes. 

"  What  is  it  you  don't  understand  f " 

"  How  you  can  hate  whisky  as  you  do,  and  be  so 
good  to  me." 

"  Let 's  not  talk  about  that.  You  'd  be  the  same  to 
me  if  you  had  a  chance." 

"  I  want  to  talk  about  it.  I  shall  feel  better  if  I 
do.  Seems  as  if  I  could  n't  bear  the  pain  only  when 
I  'm  talking  or  moving,  and  I  'm  so  tired— so  tired ; 
perhaps  I  can  lay  still  a  bit  if  you  '11  let  me  talk.  I 
want  to  talk  about  them  letters  and  the  liquor  busi 
ness.  It  is  n't  so  much  that  you  've  come  to  watch 
with  me,  for  you  've  got  a  kind  heart  and  would  do  a 
good  turn  for  a  sick  dog.  It  's  different  from  that. 
You  've  fit  the  trade  ever  since  you  come  to  town, 


128  THE  STAND-BY 

and  you  Ve  done  more  'n  anybody  else  to  drive  me 
out  of  it,  and  you  've  known  just  how  I  've  hated  you, 
and  all  about  them  dirty,  insulting  letters— and  now 
you  treat  me  just  as  if  I  was  one  of  your  own  kind  of 
folks  and  had  always  been  your  friend.  You  say  if 
you  was  sick  and  I  was  well  I  'd  do  the  same  by  you. 
That  's  what  gets  me." 

"  I  have  n't  any  doubt  you  would." 

"  Then  you  don't  look  on  me  as  a  kind  of  devil,  to 
be  taken  care  of,  devil  or  not,  because  I  'm  smashed 
up  ?  You  ain't  a  bit  like  old  Deacon  Follett,  that  sent 
me  them  tracts.  Seems  's  if  you  thought  rum  was 
hell  and  rumsellers  human  just  like  other  folks." 

"  That 's  exactly  what  I  do  think." 

"I  've  heard  temperance  lecturers  talk  as  if  we  'd 
all  murder  our  best  friends  for  ten  cents." 

"  So  have  I.     It 's  an  outrageous  lie." 

"  'T  would  be  kinder  sickly  for  a  man  to  talk  that 
way  about  John  Denman.  You  hate  the  business 
worse  'n  they  do,  and  treat  me  like  a  brother— as  if 
you  thought  I  was  n't  a  very  bad  brother,  either." 

"  I  don't  think  so.     I  never  did." 

"  But  you  think  the  business  I  was  in  was  bad  ? " 

"  So  bad  the  truth  is  the  worst  that  can  be  said  of  it." 

"  That 's  what  I  can't  understand— how  you  can  be 
death  on  the  business  the  way  you  are,  and  feel  as 
you  do  to  me." 

"  Daddy,"  cried  a  shrill  voice,  "  Daddy,  Tommy  want 
stay  with  'oo !  "  A  fine  little  fellow  came  pattering 
into  the  room.  "  Daddy,"  he  repeated,  "  Tommy  want 
stay  with  'oo  !  Tommy  want  some  'oo  eat !  " 


O'LEARY  129 

He  was  not  clean,— this  best  of  God's  gifts  to  the 
home,  rich  or  poor,— but  Craigin  took  him  on  his  knee 
and  fed  him  grapes  and  told  him  fairy  stories  until  he 
fell  asleep. 

When  the  boy  was  once  more  in  bed  O'Leary  re 
turned  to  the  old  subject.  "  You  think  my  business 
was  as  bad  as  it  could  be,"  he  said,  "  and  you  don't 
think  I  was  bad.  How  can  a  business  be  bad  and  the 
men  in  it  good  ? " 

"  King  David  was  a  good  man,  was  n't  he  ? " 

"  I  guess  so." 

"  He  did  what  a  man  would  be  hung  for  nowadays. 
'Most  two  thousand  years  ago  there  was  a  Roman 
emperor  who  hunted  Christians  to  death  and  had  men 
trained  to  kill  each  other  to  make  sport  for  the  people. 
He  was  one  of  the  best  men  that  ever  lived." 

"How  could  he  be  if  he  did  such  bad  things?" 

"  No  one  thought  of  them  as  wrong  or  cruel  then. 
Two  or  three  hundred  years  ago  the  best  of  people, 
Protestants  and  Catholics  alike,  thought  it  was  God's 
work  to  burn  Unitarians  at  the  stake,  but  they  did  n't 
think  the  African  slave-trade  was  wrong.  Only  thirty 
years  ago  the  best  people  in  the  South  sold  men  like 
cattle,  and  millions  of  people  in  the  North  said  it  was 
right.  Now  everybody  says  it  was  wrong.  It 's  the 
same  with  the  liquor  traffic.  It 's  always  been,  just  as 
slavery  had  always  been.  People  are  only  beginning 
to  find  out  that  it  's  the  greatest  of  all  curses.  By 
and  by,  when  they  understand  it  a  little  better,  they  '11 
crush  it,  and  the  world  will  move  on  to  something 
else." 


130  THE  STAND-BY 

"  Then  you  don't  think  a  man  must  be  bad  because 
he  does  bad  things  ? " 

"No,  not  always.  Right  does  n't  change,  but  the 
point  of  view  does." 

"  I  see  what  you  mean.  I  never  thought  of  it  that 
way  before.'7 

A  few  days  later,  as  Craigin  called  to  see  his  new 
friend,  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  familiar  form  van 
ishing  around  a  corner.  On  a  table  beside  the  bed 
were  the  remains  of  the  most  delicate  little  supper 
that  a  sick  man  could  crave. 

"  Miss  Denman  's  been  here,"  said  O'Leary,  with 
tears  of  gratitude  glistening  in  his  eyes.  "  She  sent 
lots  of  things  to  us  the  other  day,  and  now  she 's  come 
herself.  See  there !  she  cooked  and  brought  all  that 
with  her  own  hands.  Five  minutes  ago  she  sat  by  the 
window  where  you  are,  talking  and  laughing  with  me 
and  cheering  me  up,  just  as  if  I  was  n't  a  poor  man 
and  she  worth  her  millions  j  and  I  could  n't  help  feel 
ing  as  if  she  was  an  angel  with  the  light  of  heaven 
shining  in  her  eyes.  Then  she  looked  out  the  win 
dow,  and  all  of  a  sudden  I  could  see  her  face  grow 
kind  of  drawn,  like  as  if  she  was  in  pain,  and  first  I 
knew  she  'd  got  on  her  things  and  was  gone."  O'Leary 
was  a  shrewd  fellow,  and  he  gave  the  editor  a  search 
ing  look.  "  She  was  here  more  'n  an  hour,"  he  con 
tinued  ;  "  and  for  all  she  's  so  rich  and  handsome,  it 's 
just  as  easy  to  talk  with  her  as  it  is  with  common 
folks.  I  told  her  how  you  watched  with  me,  and  then 
—I  would  n't  have  thought  I  'd  have  darst  to— I  told 
her  everything  you  said  about  the  liquor  business  and 
the  men  in  it." 


O'LEAEY  131 

"  Wliat  did  she  say  ? "  inquired  Craigin,  with  a  long 
ing  to  know  that  overcame  delicacy,  for  he  and  Isabel 
had  ceased  to  be  on  speaking  terms. 

"  She  looked  as  she  did,  only  not  so  much  so,  when 
she  saw— when  she  went  away  so  quick,  and  she  said, 
might  she  give  me  some  more  chicken  ?  That >s  all 
she  said." 


VII 

TUNNELING 

p-TH-THE  L-ord  is  w-w-walking  in  h-his 
g-g-garden  t-t-to-d-d-day,"  observed  a  stut 
tering  wit,  as  Denman  crossed  the  com 
mon  to  Woods's  office. 
"Seen  the  paper  this  morning?"  inquired  Woods, 
as  Denman  crossed  the  threshold.  The  lawyer  was 
reading  one  of  Craigin's  strongest  editorials.  "  That 
young  man  's  got  the  making  of  a  dozen  Mariuses  in 
him." 

"I  don't  know  who  Marius  was,"  growled  Denman. 
"  I  know  Craigin.     I  want  to  spare  him  if  I  can  j  but 
if  he  does  n't  let  up  after  next  term  of  court,— and  he 
won't,— he  '11  have  to  be  put  out  of  the  way." 
"Put  out  of  the  way?"  gasped  Woods. 
"  You  need  n't  look  so  blank,"  said  Denman,  with  a 
bitter  laugh.     "  I  sha'n't  stick  a  dagger  in  his  back. 
Suppose  I  should  control  a  majority  of  the  stock  in 
his  paper— the  young  lion  goes  somewhere  else  to 
roar,  does  n't  he  ? " 

"  It  strikes  me,  if  you  ever  want  his  paper  out  of 
the  way,  it 's  now." 

132 


TUNNELING  133 

"  It  does,  does  it  ?  The  thing  can't  be  done  in  the 
middle  of  a  campaign ;  't  would  make  too  much  of  a 
howl.  Besides,  it  may  be  bad  for  the  party ;  but  so 

far  's  I  'm  concerned,  I  don't  care  a about  the 

paper  till  after  those  five  hundred  and  forty-six  com 
plaints  are  disposed  of.  The  greater  the  odds  the 
sweeter  the  victory." 

"If  it  is  victory." 

"There  's  no  <if '  about  it.  Did  n't  you  tell  the 
mayor  and  aldermen  the  law  could  n't  be  enforced  ? " 

"Amounted  to  that." 

"  Tell  'em  what  you  thought  ? " 

"  Might  have  colored  it  a  shade— not  much." 

"Where  's  your  new  light?" 

"How  could  I  think  Strickland  would  take  the 
position  he  has  ?  No  one  ever  did  before,  and  it  7s 
sound  law.  It 's  the  same  with  the  evidence— im 
pregnable  as  Gibraltar.  Then,  the  cranks  mean  busi 
ness  at  last,  and  they  Ve  got  an  organ  that 's  a  power 
and  that  can't  be  flattered,  bought,  or  scared." 

"Woods,"  said  Denman,  with  a  grim  smile,  "do 
you  remember  how  you  talked  about  the  railroad  fight, 
fifteen  years  ago  ? " 

"Yes;  and  the  best  lawyers  in  this  part  of  the 
country  talked  the  same  way.  Because  you  won  then 
where  no  one  else  could,  it  does  n't  follow  that  you 
will  now.  You  sweat  gold  ten  years  before  you  came 
out  ahead." 

"  The  railroad  folks  have  sweat  it  back  three  times 
over,  have  n't  they  ?  " 

"  Till  there  was  n't  anything  more  to  sweat.  Clif 
ford  never  got  it  through  his  wool  how  you  won.  If 

9* 


134  THE  STAND-BY 

he  'd  known  of  the  buying  of  Smalley  and  the  fixing 
of  that  deed,  he  'd  have  given  you  back  his  twenty- 
thousand-dollar  retainer  and  washed  his  hands  of  the 
whole  business." 

"  Yes;  Clifford  's  a  lawyer,  and  fights  by  the  rules 
of  the  game.  I  won't  get  into  a  fight  unless  I  >m  right 
and  am  driven  to  it,  and  then  I  '11  fight  to  win.  I  sold 
my  bay  mare  to  Tuffts  yesterday." 

"Well?" 

"  I  told  him  I  wanted  to  sell  her  because  she  was  n't 
sound  and  never  would  be.  He  'd  have  paid  me  twice 
as  much  if  I  'd  held  my  tongue." 

"Yes?" 

"  1 7d  have  cheated  him  if  1 7d  sold  her  for  a  sound 
price.  I  sold  her  for  just  what  I  thought  she  was 
worth." 

"Yes?" 

"  That  was  business.  This  is  different ;  it  's  war. 
I  can't  help  it.  I  've  done  everything  in  reason  to 
avoid  it.  I  'm  driven  to  it  to  keep  these  fanatics  from 
robbing  the  community  of  its  natural  rights  and  from 
robbing  me  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars,  all  in 
the  name  of  the  law,  and  I  shall  do  whatever 's  neces 
sary  to  win.  The  '  Tocsin '  's  helping  me  so  far  7s  next 
term  of  court  7s  concerned.  The  more  it  hounds  on 
the  cranks,  the  more  it  stirs  up  the  anti-cranks. 
There  '11  be  cranks  and  anti-cranks  on  every  jury,  and 
they  won't  agree." 

"  They  '11  let  you  off  if  they  can  get  the  least  shadow 
of  a  pretext ;  there  7s  no  doubt  about  that  j  but  how 
can  they  ?  The  law 's  all  against  us,  and  the  evidence 
is  piled  up  like  the  Alps." 


TUNNELING  135 

"Alps  have  been  tunneled,  have  n't  they?  When 
are  the  jury-lists  made  up  ? " 

"Next  month." 

"I  thought  so/7  replied  Denman,  taking  a  memo 
randum-book  from  his  pocket.  "  First  town  's  Ab- 
bottsf ord ;  first  selectman,  Thaddeus  Foster.  You  're 
counsel  for  the  town,  are  n't  you  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  Highway  suit  pending  against  it,  is  n't  there  ? " 

"Yes;  to  be  tried  next  term." 

"  And  you  want  to  talk  it  over  with  Foster— before 
the  jury-lists  are  made  out  ? " 

"  I  can't  touch  Foster  on  the  jury-lists  ;  he  7s  hon 
est  as  sunlight." 

"  Money  honest— could  n't  be  bribed  with  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars ;  but  who 's  the  rabidest  Democrat  in 
this  county  ? " 

"  I  should  say  Thaddeus  Foster." 

"Yes;  he  's  straight  in  everything  else,  and  would 
mortgage  his  soul  to  the  devil  for  the  Democracy. 
He  can't  leave  this  office  without  talking  about  the 
effect  of  these  prosecutions  on  the  party,  and  if  you 
suggest  that  all  the  complainants  but  one  are  Repub 
licans,  and  hint  that  it 's  a  pretty  sharp  test  for  a  man 
to  stay  with  a  party  that  persecutes  him  so,  he 's  fixed. 
He  '11  turn  it  and  twist  it  and  chew  on  it  till  he  makes 
himself  believe  I  '11  be  a  Democrat  if  the  Democrats 
help  me  out  of  this  scrape.  He  looks  on  a  Republican 
turned  Democrat  like  a  soul  saved  from  hell ;  and  if 
he  thinks  I  '11  come  in  and  pull  hard  with  the  elect, 
he  '11  be  mighty  careful  who  goes  on  the  jury  from 
Abbottsford." 


136  THE  STAND-BY 

"  I  ;11  see  Foster  at  once.  I  can  fix  him  all  right  on 
that  cue." 

"  Next  is  Bunkerville— pretty  much  all  Bunker  since 
't  was  set  off.  I  saved  him  from  bankruptcy  in  the 
panic  of  '73,  and  he  'd  go  through  fire  and  blood  for 
me,  only  he  's  got  a  d— d  stiff  conscience.  If  he  can 
help  me  and  save  his  conscience,  he  '11  do  it  without 
a  word  being  said.  It  won't  do  to  say  anything,  any 
way." 

Denman  went  on  through  the  list.  He  had  studied 
the  virtues,  prejudices,  peculiarities,  and  foibles  of 
every  selectman  in  the  county.  He  knew  how  to 
touch  secret  springs  of  action.  He  bought  one  man 
outright,  he  accommodated  another  with  a  loan,  he 
gave  several  a  tip  on  choice  investments ;  but  in  most 
cases  the  motives  appealed  to  were  less  corrupt  and 
more  subtle.  One  man  hated  ministers— the  war  was 
a  ministers'  war  j  two  had  grudges  against  Strickland 
—Strickland  had  fostered  strife  for  personal  ambition. 
One  man  had  a  dark  secret  which  Denman  had 
learned,  and  of  which  he  took  advantage.  Another 
was  chairman  of  a  town  library  which  Denman  had 
given  and  which  bore  his  name.  Many  had  business 
relations  with  him  of  long  standing;  many  were  in 
debted  for  favors ;  many  were  filled  with  that  grati 
tude  which  is  "  a  lively  sense  of  future  favors."  All 
knew  him.  Nearly  all  both  feared  and  loved  him. 
Through  all  the  county  stretched  innumerable  feelers, 
coarsely  or  delicately,  as  occasion  required,  but  secretly 
and  skilfully  touching  all  kinds  of  motives,  interests, 
and  prejudices. 

"You   have  n't   mentioned  Apsleigh,"   suggested 


TUNNELING  137 

Woods,  after  they  had  spent  hours  in  talking  these 
men  over. 

"  No ;  I  don't  think  the  city  government  7s  very 
fierce,  do  yon?" 

"  They  say  it  's  your  shadow." 

"  Oh,  no,  not  that !  but  I  guess  I  've  a  little  influence 
with  it  still.  Well,  Woods,  what  do  you  think  of  the 
defense  as  far  as  we  've  got  ? " 

"  It  would  win  fast  enough  if  there  were  n't  such  an 
endless  grist  of  evidence  so  strong  that  a  man  can't 
vote  for  you  without  owning  up  he  ;s  perjured." 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  Denman,  with  a  laugh,  "  that 
it  7s  the  weakness  of  good  lawyers  to  persuade  them 
selves  that  cases  go  according  to  the  law  and  the  evi 
dence  ?  I  'm  no  lawyer,  but  1 7ve  seen  a  good  deal 
of  'em.  There  's  Clifford,  one  of  the  best  in  the  coun 
try  ;  same  with  him  as  't  is  with  you.  The  smartest 
of  you  stick  to  the  theory  as  the  old  doctors  did  to 
bleeding  patients  to  death.  Forty  years  ago  a  young 
fellow  up  in  Eochford  girdled  an  orchard.  He  was 
tracked  home,  and  confessed  it  to  the  owner  and  four 
others,  two  of  'em  orthodox  deacons.  He  happened  to 
get  a  lawyer  who  believed  in  something  besides  law 
and  evidence.  He  made  the  jury  forget  all  about  the 
case  on  trial,  and  they  brought  in  a  verdict  that  old 
Deacon  Greene  was  a  liar." 

"  Such  things  don't  happen  more  'n  once  in  forty 
years,"  replied  Woods. 

"  Then  the  time  's  come  round  just  in  season  for 
me,  has  n't  it?  But  that  thing  did  n't  happen.  It 
was  n't  chance  j  it  was  genius.  I  know  you  won't  feel 
hurt  if  I  have  a  man  with  you— he  can't  hold  a  candle 


138  THE  STAND-BY 

to  you  as  a  lawyer— who  can  do  anything  he  wants 
to  with  a  jury.  He  711  give  'em  plenty  of  excuses  for 
letting  me  out.  It 's  going  my  way.  I  know  what 
1 'm  talking  about,  and  if  I  did  n't,  1 'd  give  more  for 
one  of  Isabel's  presentiments  than  for  all  your  croak- 
ings." 

"  There  you  go  again  on  your  pet  superstition  about 
presentiments ! " 

"It  is  n't  superstition.  I  can't  account  for  'em.  I 
don't  try.  All  I  know  is,  Isabel's  come  true." 

Though  Denman,  like  Napoleon,  had  his  pet  super 
stitions,  like  that  great  soldier  he  worked  incessantly 
and  was  ever  alert  for  opportunities.  For  example, 
just  before  the  term  of  court  a  coarse,  ill-looking  fel 
low  entered  his  office. 

"  Good  morning,  Mr.  Bates,"  said  the  brewer,  in  a 
most  cordial  tone. 

"  Be  you  alone  ? "  inquired  Bates. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Denman,  interrogatively  and  seduc 
tively. 

"  I— I  've  been  drawed  as  a  jury,"  said  the  fellow, 
coming  to  the  point  at  once. 

"  Have  you  ? "  said  Denman,  after  which  was  a  long 
and  awkward  pause. 

"  You  're  a  rich  man,  hain't  you  ? "  inquired  Bates,  at 
length. 

"  Fairly  well  fixed— fairly." 

"  You  hain't  mean,  nuther  ? " 

"  That 's  for  others  to  say,  Mr.  Bates,  not  me." 

Another  long  pause,  broken  by  the  question,  "  Can't 
nobody  hear  us  ? " 

"  No  j  this  room  's  ear-proof.    Why  ? " 


TUNNELING  139 

"'Cos  I  '11  tell  you  what,  Denman,"— the  low  fellow 
felt  his  power  and  was  correspondingly  insolent,— "  I  '11 
tell  you  what :  you  're  a  good  feller,  an'  I  've  always 
liked  you ;  gimme  a  couple  of  hundred  an'  I  '11  hang 
that  jury." 

He  had  scarcely  made  this  blunt  proposal— he  knew 
no  more  diplomatic  way— when  he  met  a  look  that 
astonished  and  paralyzed  him.  The  cold  shivers  went 
creeping  down  his  back,  and  he  seemed  to  shrivel 
visibly  under  those  keen  gray  eyes. 

"And  so," said  Denman,  at  last,  slowly  and  sternly, 
"  and  so  you  propose  that  we  commit  a  State-prison 
crime  together  if  I  '11  give  you  two  hundred  dollars. 
You  have  given  me  a  chance  to  break  up  the  trial  and 
send  you  to  the  penitentiary.  Perhaps  I  shall  tell, 
and  perhaps  I  sha'n'tj  it  depends— do  you  under 
stand?" 

"Y-yes,"  replied  Bates,  faintly,  as  he  arose  with 
trembling  knees  and  slunk  away. 

When  the  door  closed  after  him,  the  stern  face  wore 
a  smile  of  triumph.  "  That  man  's  fixed,"  said  Den 
man  to  himself.  "  If  I  'd  bribed  him  he  'd  told  of  it 
afterward,  and,  ten  to  one,  voted  against  me.  Now  he 's 
got  nothing  to  tell,  and  terror  '11  hold  him  tighter  'n 
the  Bank  of  England." 

Something  was  done  every  day.  The  Alps  were 
vast  and  mighty,  but  they  were  beginning  to  be  full 
of  little  tunnels. 


VIII 

"I  MUST  SPEAK  NOW" 

[NE  evening,  as  Denman  was  smoking  in  the 
library,  Isabel  stole  up  behind  him,  threw 
an  arm  around  his  neck,  pressed  a  kiss 
upon  his  white  forehead,  and  caressingly 
ran  her  fingers  through  his  grizzled  hair. 

He  drew  her  to  his  knee  and  kissed  her. 

"Papa,"  she  said,  "how  goes  the  war?" 

"Not  very  well,  according  to  Woods;  he  thinks 
we  're  going  to  be  licked." 

"  He  's  a  good  lawyer,  is  n't  he  ?  " 

"  One  of  the  best  in  the  State— in  the  regular  way ; 
but  he  does  n't  know  how  to  shoot  with  an  empty  gun." 

"  So  our  case  is  an  empty  gun,  is  it  f " 

"  Not  even  that.  An  empty  gun  's  a  good  club ;  we 
have  n't  even  a  club." 

"  Yet  you  think  we  '11  win  1 " 

"I'm  sure  of  it." 

"  You  're  not  going  to  let  Woods  try  those  cases, 
are  you  ?  He  's  not  the  man  at  all." 

"  He  '11  sit  in  court  and  furnish  dignity  and  learn 
ing.  I  've  got  a  New  York  lawyer  who  can  make  any- 

140 


"I  MUST  SPEAK  NOW"  141 

thing  lie  wants  to  out  of  nothing— make  a  jury  think 
the  moon  's  a  green  cheese,  and  set  'em  smelling  of 
the  whey.  It 's  coming  out  all  right." 

"  Yes,  papa." 

"Is  that  one  of  your  presentiments,  little  girl?" 

"  Yes,  papa.  But  this  law  business  is  only  the  be 
ginning.  The  real  fight  is  coming  later  on." 

"I  call  this  pretty  real;  and  it  would  be  hardly  a 
growl  if  it  were  n't  for  Craigin." 

"  It  is  n't  like  what  ?s  coming,  papa.  He  only  stands 
up  for  it  in  his  paper  now.  He  is  n't  the  general  yet." 

"  And  how  will  it  end  when  he  is  the  general,  my 
prophetess  ? " 

"  I  don't  know.  You  '11  do  things  to  win  that  he 
would  n't  for  worlds.  You  've  your  millions  j  but, 
papa,  God  's  on  his  side." 

"  God  on  his  side !     And  you  too,  Isabel  ? " 

Suddenly,  convulsively,  she  threw  both  arms  about 
his  neck  and  covered  his  face  with  kisses. 

He  drew  her  closer  to  him,  tenderly  stroked  her 
hair,  and  repeated,  in  a  voice  that  was  full  of  pain, 
"And  you  too,  Isabel?" 

Springing  from  his  knee,  she  stood  before  him  with 
shining  eyes.  "  Papa,"  she  said,  "  they  are  trying  to 
take  your  money  and  shut  you  up  if  you  don't  put 
yourself  in  their  power.  I  have  n't  a  word  to  say 
against  anything  to  beat  them  in  that.  It  7s  right ; 
it  ?s  self-defense.  It 's  what 's  coming  afterward  that 
troubles  me.  I  told  Craigin  you  'd  break  him.  Papa, 
how  can  you?  He  sprang  under  the  hoofs  of  that 
great  horse  and  saved  your  life !  He  7s  so  square 
and  brave  and  noble,  he  won't  hate  you,  whatever 


142  THE  STAND-BY 

you  do.    He  is  n't  fighting  you;  it  's  the  miserable 
business." 
"  Isabel ! " 

"Papa,  I  Ve  never  said  anything  about  it  before. 
I  must  speak  now.     It  is  a  miserable  business,  and  it 
would  be  crushed  out  in  this  place  forever  if  it  were  n't 
for  you.     I  was  a  little  girl  when  Harry  died,  and  I 
never  thought  much  about  it  till  within  a  year  or  two 
—never  so  much  as  now,  till— till  we  broke  with 
Craigin.    Now  I  can't  help  thinking  about  it  all  the 
time.    I  count  them  up,— I  can't  help  it,— scores  and 
scores,  rich  and  poor  alike,  that  have  gone  to  shame 
and  death  since  I  can  remember.     They  come  to  me 
in  my  dreams— the  ghosts  of  these  people  your  whisky 
has  killed.     I  saw  them  only  last  night,— dead  men 
rising  out  of  a  sea  of  blood  and  tears,— and  among 
them  was  brother  Harry.     O  papa !  I  never  dared  say 
it  before,  not  even  to  myself.     Your  great  fortune 
drips  with  blood,  papa— the  blood  of  your  own  son ! " 
The  brave,  tender-hearted  old  man  hid  his  face  in 
his  hands  and  sat  like  one  stunned,  uttering  no  sound. 
"  O  papa ! "  pleaded  Isabel,  laying  her  hand  on  his 
shoulder,  "  I  'd  rather  take  in  washing  than  have  you 
sell  whisky.   You  say  the  money 's  all  for  me.   What's 
a  million  more  or  less  to  me  ?    You  Ve  twenty  times 
as  much  already  as  I  shall  ever  need.     It  is  n't  the 
money  you  care  for— I  know  that  5  but  you  're  so 
strong,  why  can't  you  be  strong  enough  to  give  up 
your  will  ?    You  '11  beat  them  in  court,  papa.     I  know 
they  Ve  piled  up  the  evidence  mountains  high,  but 
they  can't  get  a  jury  without  men  on  it  who  love  you, 
who  'd  face  death  for  you,  and  if  that  New  York  lawyer 


"I  MUST  SPEAK  NOW"  143 

gives  them  the  least  little  bit  of  an  excuse  they  '11  let 
you  off.  Beat  them  in  court,  papa,  and  then  shut  up 
your  brewery  and  open  your  hotels  as  temperance 
houses.  If  you  prove  that  you  're  mightier  than  the 
law,  papa,  where  's  the  shame  of  saying  you  're  not 
mightier  than  your  love  for  your  own  little  girl  ?  " 

After  waiting  in  vain  for  a  reply,  she  went  on  in  a 
changed  voice.  There  was  something  awful  in  the 
low,  sweet,  solemn  tone.  "  I  won't  go  back  on  you, 
papa.  I  love  you  so  well,  1 '11  stand  with  you  to  the 
end,  right  or  wrong— so  well,  1 '11  stand  with  you  fight 
ing  against  God.  Will  you  let  your  little  girl  do  that, 
papa  ?  If  you  hate  Craigin,  I  '11  hate  him  too.  If  I 
don't  hate  him,  I  shall  love  him  more  than  all  the 
world  besides— more  than  I  love  even  you,  papa.  I 
can't  help  doing  one  or  the  other.  It 's  almost  killing 
me,  but,  if  you  want  me  to,  I  '11  try  to  hate  him  for 
your  sake." 

She  glided  away,  and  a  moment  later  Denman  heard 
her,  in  her  room  up-stairs,  sobbing  as  if  her  heart 
would  break.  "Your  great  fortune  drips  with  the 
blood  of  your  own  son,  papa ! "  He  knew  that  tem 
perance  cranks  had  said  such  things  behind  his  back, 
but  these  were  the  words  of  one  who  loved  him  so 
well  that  she  promised  to  stand  with  him  fighting 
against  God— one  whom  he  loved  a  thousand  times 
more  than  his  own  life,  more  than  everything  else  in 
the  world,  except  his  own  will.  The  past  came  back 
to  him,  his  joy  and  pride  in  the  only  pledge  of  his  first 
wife's  love.  What  a  bright,  brave  little  fellow  he  was ! 
And  how  his  life  went  out  in  horror !  "  I  love  you 
so  well,  papa,  that  I  '11  stand  with  you  fighting  against 


144  THE  STAND-BY 

God.  Will  you  let  your  little  girl  do  that?"  The 
great  railroad  fight,  ten  years  in  the  darkest  labyrinths 
of  the  law,  was  nothing  compared  with  the  struggle 
through  which  he  passed  before  answering  this  ques 
tion.  Close  the  brewery!  Open  the  hotels  as  tem 
perance  houses !  Yield  everything  the  enemy  cared 
for !  He  had  sworn  to  fight  it  out  to  the  death,  to  die 
behind  prison-bars  rather  than  surrender.  He  had 
promised  his  friends  that  they  should  share  his  vic 
tory,  and  he  had  never  yet  gone  back  on  his  pledged 
word.  The  prohibitory  law  had  become  a  burning 
issue  instead  of  a  dead  letter.  The  Republican  party 
was  divided  into  hostile  camps,  and  the  smaller,  the 
one  with  money  and  discipline,  looked  to  him  as  its 
leader.  The  fanatics  were  to  be  scourged  into  abject 
submission,  their  law,  odious  from  his  point  of  view, 
was  to  be  repealed,  and  a  license  law  was  to  recognize 
what  he  regarded  as  the  natural,  inherent,  and  inalien 
able  right  of  personal  liberty.  All  this  Denman  had 
in  view  when  he  told  his  friends  it  should  be  no  drawn 
battle  and  that  they  should  share  his  victory.  And 
at  last  within  his  heart  had  sprung  up  a  consuming 
passion  for  the  political  honors  he  could  once  have  had 
for  the  taking,  not  for  themselves,  but  as  the  corona 
tion  of  his  cause.  He  believed  in  the  justice  of  the 
cause  exactly  as  he  had  put  it  to  Craigin,  and  the  des 
perate  railroad  litigation,  involving  his  entire  fortune, 
had  developed  his  inborn  love  of  victory  to  overmaster 
ing  proportions ;  but  he  idolized  Isabel.  The  terrible 
conflict  in  his  soul  raged  all  night.  When  it  ended 
his  purpose  was  more  inexorable  than  ever  before. 
From  that  time  he  was  a  changed  man.  He  gave 


"I  MUST   SPEAK  NOW"  145 

still  more  lavishly  and  abounded  still  more  in  acts  of 
thoughtful  kindness.  If  possible,  his  love  for  Isabel 
increased.  Her  conduct  won  his  boundless  admira 
tion.  She  bore  her  anguish  in  silence.  As  the  weeks 
went  by  and  her  form  grew  thinner  and  the  roses 
faded  from  her  cheeks,  it  was  pitiful  to  see  how  he 
watched  her  and  the  delicate  ways  in  which  he  tried 
to  atone  for  the  one  thing  he  denied  her.  He  worked 
and  plotted  day  and  night,  and  his  genius  shone 
brighter  than  ever  before ;  but  he  aged  from  week  to 
week,  his  old  smile  was  gone,  his  old  laugh  had  become 
forced  and  bitter.  "Your  great  fortune  drips  with 
the  blood  of  your  own  son  !  "  "  I  love  you  so  well, 
I  '11  stand  with  you  fighting  against  God.  Will  you 
let  your  little  girl  do  that?"  "It  7s  almost  killing 
me,  but,  if  you  want  me  to,  I  '11  try  to  hate  him  for 
your  sake  !  "  "  How  can  you  break  him  ?  He  sprang 
under  the  hoofs  of  that  great  horse  and  saved  your 
life !  "  These  words  from  the  lips  he  loved  best  were 
always  ringing  in  his  ears,  and,  while  his  purpose  was 
unchangeable,  he  suffered  the  torments  of  the  damned. 
At  last  he  hated  the  enemy  who  had  stolen  his  daugh 
ter's  heart,  hated  him  for  saving  his  own  life,  and 
often  he  muttered  bitterly,  "I  wish  the  horse  had 
kiUed  us  both!'7 


10 


IX 

COLLAPSE 

>T  was  the  law  that  Denman  could  not  be 
tried  until  a  grand  jury  had  decided  whe 
ther  there  was  enough  evidence  against 
him  to  justify  putting  him  on  trial. 
"  Well,  gentlemen/'  said  the  county  attorney,  on  the 
morning  of  the  second  day  that  the  grand  jury  was 
in  session.  "  we  've  got  through  with  everything  but 
the  liquor  cases." 

"  Mr.  Strickland,"  pleaded  one  of  the  best  men,  "  I 
want  to  be  excused.  I  '11  tell  you  why.  My  wife  died 
five  years  ago.  She  'd  been  ailing  ever  since  our 
last  baby  was  born,  and  in  bed  all  the  time  for  the 
last  three  years.  What  with  housekeepers'  bills  and 
doctors'  bills  and  all,  I  had  to  mortgage  my  farm. 
Just  after  my  wife  died  my  barn  was  burned  with 
everything  in  it— hay,  grain,  cattle,  horses,  farming 
tools,  all  I  had.  I  'd  been  so  hard  up  I  'd  let  the  in 
surance  run  out.  As  soon  as  the  man  who  held  the 
mortgage  found  out  that  I  had  n't  anything  to  pay 
him  with,  he  went  right  to  work  to  foreclose.  It  was 
winter,  I  had  four  little  children,  and  my  last  dollar 

146 


COLLAPSE  147 

was  gone.  I  'd  always  worked  hard  and  paid  my  bills, 
and  it  seemed  as  if  t'  would  kill  me  to  have  my  little 
children  taken  away  from  me  and  put  in  the  poorhouse, 
but  it  stared  'em  right  in  the  face.  I  went  to  the 
banks,  and  old  Deacon  Follett,  and  three  or  four  other 
rich  men,  and  they  all  said  they  'd  be  glad  to  help  me 
if  they  was  n't  so  dreadful  short;  they  all  said  they 
were  dreadful  short.  Then  I  went  to  John  Denman 
and  told  him  just  what  I  've  told  you.  He  did  n't  say 
a  word  about  being  dreadful  short.  He  gave  my  hand 
a  grip,— seems  as  if  I  could  feel  it  now,— and  I  saw 
two  big  tears  standing  in  his  eyes.  Then  he  just  sat 
down  and  wrote  me  a  check  for  every  dollar  of  that 
mortgage  and  enough  to  give  me  a  little  start  besides, 
and  told  me  I  was  to  look  out  for  the  children  first 
and  pay  him  when  I  could.  That  's  all  1 've  got  to  say. 
John  Denman  put  me  on  my  feet  and  kept  my  four 
babies  out  of  the  poorhouse,  and,  proof  or  no  proof, 
oath  or  no  oath,  I  won't  go  against  him.  You  may 
shut  me  up,  just  as  you  're  trying  to  shut  him  up  j  I 
won't  do  it;  all  the  same." 

The  New  York  lawyer  who  could  make  a  jury  be 
lieve  the  moon  was  a  green  cheese  could  n't  have 
made  a  more  effective  appeal,  or  one  more  foreign  to 
the  law  and  the  evidence.  The  jurors  looked  at  each 
other  and  whispered  among  themselves. 

"No  one  wants  to  shut  you  up,  Mr.  Adams,"  said 
Strickland.  "We  '11  go  up-stairs  and  tell  the  judge, 
and  I  guess  he  '11  let  you  off." 

"  Let  me  off !  I  can't  sit  on  this  case,  either !  "  cried 
half  a  dozen. 

"  It  is  n't  easy  to  get  excused ;  you  must  n't  ask  what 


148  THE  STAND-BY 

can't  be  done/'  replied  Strickland,  hurrying  away  to 
escape  their  importunities. 

While  he  was  gone  the  jurors  talked. 

"It  7s  just  like  Denman,"  said  one.  "There  was 
Weeks.  All  he  left  was  a  patent  right.  Folks  thought 
it  was  n't  worth  anything— said  it  was  only  one  of 
Weeks's  crazy  inventions  j  but  you  bet  Denman  knows 
a  good  thing  when  he  sees  it !  It  was  put  up  at  auc 
tion  to  pay  the  debts,  and  he  bought  it  for  'most  noth 
ing,  and  took  it  to  New  York  and  sold  it  for  thirty 
thousand  dollars  spot  cash.  What  'd  he  do  with  the 
money  ?  Put  it  in  his  own  pocket,  and  let  that  sick 
widow  and  her  little  girl  go  to  the  poorhouse,  as  old 
Deacon  Follett  and  lots  of  the  pious  folks  would  have 
done  ?  Not  a  bit  of  it !  He  bought  thirty  thousand 
dollars'  worth  of  good  six-per-cent.  bonds  in  Mrs. 
Weeks's  name,  and  now,  instead  of  being  a  pauper, 
she 's  got  eighteen  hundred  a  year  to  live  on.  That  ?s 
the  kind  of  a  criminal  John  Denman  is !  " 

"  There  was  Willie  Brown,"  said  another,  "  that  poor 
little  orphan  cripple  j  Denman  sent  him  to  a  Boston 
hospital  and  paid  the  doctors  and  nurses  and  board  and 
everything  till  he  got  well." 

" l  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the 
least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me ' !  " 
exclaimed  a  third. 

"  JT  would  take  a  darn  sight  longer  to  tell  what  he 
has  done  than  what  he  has  n't,"  said  a  fourth.  "  He  's 
the  whitest  man  in  these  parts,  if  he  is  a  rumseller." 

"  And  he  's  been  mighty  judicious  in  handling  it," 
remarked  another.  "  Has  n't  allowed  any  one  to  sell 
right  and  left  to  drunkards  and  boys.  Held  a  taut 


COLLAPSE  149 

rein  on  the  whole  business.  No  knock-downs  and 
drag-outs.  No  rows.  Apsleigh  's  been  the  quietest, 
best-behaved  city  in  the  State  for  twenty  years,  all 
through  John  Denman." 

"  The  temperance  folks  admit  that ! "  cried  half  a 
dozen. 

"  It  used  to  be  a  nice,  sociable,  friendly  kind  of  a 
place  to  live  in,"  said  still  another  juryman;  "and 
now  lifelong  friends  won't  speak  to  each  other,  and 
it 's  nothing  but  hate  breaking  up  everything,  from 
churches  to  a  rubber  of  whist.  It 's  just  as  Mr.  Dow 
said :  been  the  best  city  in  the  State  for  twenty  years, 
and  now— it  's  hell." 

"  I  01  be  hanged  if  I  '11  vote  ag'in'  John  Denman !  " 
exclaimed  one  of  the  roughest  of  the  jurors.  "  He  's 
a  bird,  he  is,  a  reg'lar  Jim  Dandy,  and  if  a  feller  wants 
a  little  suthin'  in  his  insides,  it  ?s  nobody's  business 
but  hisn ! " 

"  But  we  are  sworn  to  find  according  to  the  law  and 
the  evidence,  and  if  we  do  not  we  are  perjured,"  pro 
tested  the  foreman. 

"  That 's  so !  "  assented  one  or  two. 

"  But,"  urged  a  little  jeweler  of  bookish  tastes,  "  it 
used  to  be  the  law,  the  greater  the  truth  the  worse  the 
libel,  and  all  the  world  honors  the  jury  that  woiild  n't 
convict  Captain  Baillie  for  publishing  the  shameful 
things  done  in  Greenwich  Hospital.  How  was  it  with 
the  Fugitive- slave  Law  ?  Who  blames  juries  now  for 
setting  slaves  free  against  law  and  evidence  ? " 

"This  is  not  the  Fugitive-slave  Law,"  replied  the 
foreman.     "  Unless  this  great  evil  is  rooted  out,  free 
government  cannot  exist  another  hundred  years." 
10* 


150  THE  STAND-BY 

"  Can't  it  exist  if  Mrs.  Frye  has  mince-pies  and  cider 
apple-sass  ? "  piped  a  shrill  voice.  "  She  told  my  wife 
t'  other  day  she  could  n't  git  no  cider  for  mince-pies 
and  apple-sass,  'cause  her  husband  was  'fraid  of  bein' 
a  witness." 

"Mr.  Foreman,"  inquired  the  little  jeweler,  "is  it 
any  worse  for  Mrs.  Frye  to  have  mince-pies  and  cider 
apple-sauce  than  for  the  prosecuting  attorney  to  smoke 
an  old  clay  pipe  and  drink  coffee  strong  as  lye  ? " 

Strickland's  return  put  an  end  to  the  discussion. 
The  evidence  was  put  in,  piled  up,  as  Woods  said,  like 
the  everlasting  mountains.  Some  of  the  jurors  sat 
sullen  and  inattentive ;  three  or  four  stood  with  their 
hands  in  their  pockets,  looking  out  of  the  windows; 
one  skilfully  carved  his  monogram  on  the  back  of  a 
chair.  When  all  the  evidence  was  in  Strickland  in 
structed  the  jury  in  regard  to  the  law,  and  told  them 
that  Denman's  good  qualities  had  nothing  to  do  with 
the  case  before  them.  He  told  them  that,  whether  the 
law  was  just  or  unjust,  wise  or  foolish,  was  a  question 
for  the  legislative,  not  the  judicial,  department  of  the 
State.  He  reminded  them  that  they  had  taken  an  oath 
to  be  governed  by  the  law  and  the  evidence,  and  by 
that  alone,  and  that  they  could  not  shrink  from  the 
obligation  without  being  guilty  of  perjury.  Then 
they  voted.  They  numbered  twenty,  not  counting 
Adams,  excused.  Three  voted  "  Bill,"  four  voted  "  No 
bill,"  thirteen  declined  to  vote. 

"  Gentlemen,  you  must  vote,"  said  Strickland ;  "  the 
law  requires  it.  We  '11  try  again." 

Five  voted  "Bill,"  fifteen  voted  "No  bill." 

Strickland  urged  them  to  ask  questions  in  regard  to 


COLLAPSE  151 

the  law,  pressed  them  to  name  a  flaw  in  the  evidence 
that  could  make  a  doubt  possible  in  any  sane  mind, 
insisted  that  free  government  must  be  a  government 
of  law,  and  sharply  rebuked  them  for  violation  of 
sworn  duty.  Then  he  made  them  ballot  again.  The 
ballot  stood  sixteen  for  Denman,  four  against  him. 
There  was  no  occasion  for  the  New  York  lawyer  who 
could  make  a  jury  think  the  moon  a  green  cheese ;  the 
five  hundred  and  forty-six  complaints  were  waste 
paper. 

The  attempt  to  confiscate  the  liquors  proved  equally 
abortive.  They  had  been  stored  in  an  isolated  stone 
building  formerly  used  as  a  jail.  The  commissioners 
appointed  to  examine  them  and  report  to  the  court 
found  nothing  but  empty  casks. 

The  November  election  immediately  followed. 
Strickland,  whose  duty  as  prosecuting  attorney  re 
lieved  him  from  the  odium  of  voluntary  action,  pulled 
through  with  barely  a  tenth  of  his  former  majorities. 
Every  other  candidate  who  had  shown  the  slightest 
anti-liquor  proclivities  was  snowed  under.  For  the 
first  time  in  twenty-five  years  city  and  county  went 
Democratic  on  the  local  ticket.  Apsleigh,  full  of  dis 
sension  and  hate,  losing  business  every  day,  cried  for 
peace.  Prohibition  was  pronounced  a  chimera,  and 
Denman  invincible. 


PAKT  THKEE 

« 
THE  LEAGUE 


FORMING  THE  LEAGUE 

IT  down  a  minute,"  said  Strickland,  as 
Craigin  dropped  into  his  office.  "  I  want 
to  read  you  this  letter.  It  ;s  to  the  chief 
justice : 

DEAR  SIR  :  Having  decided  to  leave  Apsleigh  as  soon  as  I  can 
settle  my  affairs,  I  herewith  tender  my  resignation  as  county 
attorney.  The  gallant  fight  for  my  last  election  and  a  desire 
not  to  shirk  duty  have  caused  me  to  think  many  times  before 
taking  this  step ;  but,  under  the  existing  circumstances,  I  see 
no  objection  to  being  governed  by  my  personal  interests." 

"  That 's  a  good  letter  to  light  your  pipe  with,"  said 
Craigin.  "  Let 's  look  at  it !  I  '11  bet  it  took  a  day  to 
write  it !  "  he  continued,  after  reading  it  carefully. 

"  What  makes  you  think  so  ? " 

"  Because  it  ?s  so  short,  hints  so  much,  and  says  so 
little." 

"It  took  more  >n  that,  for  it  's  three  boiled  down. 
The  first  was  thirty  pages,  the  second  two,  the  third  a 
dozen  lines." 

"I  wish  you  'd  read  between  these  dozen  lines. 
What  >s  the  English  of  it?" 

155 


156  THE  STAND-BY 

"  The  English  is,  we  're  licked,  and  it >s  woe  to  the 
vanquished.  If  I  stay  here  I  shall  be  nothing  but  an 
object-lesson  of  how  men  ruin  themselves  and  their 
friends  trying  to  protect  the  public  from  itself.  1 've 
talked  this  over  with  Bradford  and  Harnett  and  several 
of  our  best  men.  They  all  see  it  as  I  do." 

"  You  did  n't  talk  with  me." 

"  Good  reason  why !  I  knew  you  'd  say,  <  Fight  on ! ' 
Craigin,  if  going  to  the  stake  would  give  us  victory, 
I  'd  go  there  with  a  light  heart,  but  it  's  no  use  talk 
ing  of  <ifs.'  We  've  met  our  Waterloo,  and  you  're 
the  only  man  won't  own  it." 

"  There  are  more  temperance  men  than  liquor  men 
in  Apsleighshire,  more  even  in  Apsleigh." 

"  Yes,  such  as  they  are !  They  go  to  mass-meetings, 
sing  ' Hold  the  Fort'  loud  enough  to  be  heard  a  mile, 
put  a  cent  in  the  hat,  pat  me  on  the  back  and  say, 
1  Good  dog,  Towser !  Sick  'im,  Towser ! '  but  they  're 
mighty  careful  not  to  get  in  the  way  of  the  old  lion's 
paw." 

"You  've  had  a  mighty  tough  time  of  it,  old  man, 
and  I  don't  wonder  you  feel  this  way,  but  don't  you 
know  that  some  of  the  best  fighting  armies  in  history 
have  been  made  from  worse  material?  I  guess  it  's 
better  stuff  than  Cesar's  tenth  legion  was  to  begin 
with.  The  raw  recruit  turns  pale  at  the  smell  of  gun 
powder  and  runs  away;  when  discipline  and  battle 
have  made  him  a  soldier  he  dies  at  the  cannon's  mouth 
with  a  cheer  on  his  lips.  No  matter  about  that  now. 
What  do  you  mean  by  '  personal  interests '  ? " 

"  No  one  knows  better  than  you  that  it 's  the  settled 
policy  to  divert  business  from  every  one  who  's  been 


FORMING  THE  LEAGUE  157 

prominent  on  our  side.  If  it  were  mere  spite  they  'd 
get  tired  of  it,  but  teaching  us  not  to  meddle  with  their 
business  is  the  most  effective  way  of  protecting  them 
selves.  There  is  n't  a  doctor  in  town  who  can  stand 
an  organized  and  systematic  sneering  away  of  his  pro 
fessional  reputation.  There  's  Edwards— lost  all  his 
patients  on  the  liquor  side  and  more  'n  half  on  the 
other.  It  's  as  bad,  or  worse,  with  a  lawyer.'7 

"  Can't  you  make  a  living  here  ? " 

"Not  unless  you  call  a  thousand  or  two  a  year  a 
living.  My  family  's  entitled  to  what  I  can  earn  of  the 
good  things  of  life.  I  don't  want  to  live  in  a  town  as 
full  of  hate  as  this  will  be  for  years  to  come.  I  want 
to  go  where  I  can  get  on  and  enjoy  life.  It 's  a  bitter 
dose,  all  the  same,  to  sell  the  house  where  my  grand 
father  was  born  and  where  I  hoped  my  grandchildren 
would  be  born  and  live  and  die ;  it 's  bitter  as  death. 
But  1 7m  glad  I  did  what  I  did,  for  I  believe  it  was  my 
duty,  and  we  might  have  won  if  it  had  n't  been  for 
that  fool  Harpswell." 

"  And  I  tell  you,"  replied  Craigin,  "  we  can  win  now. 
I  want  you  to  promise  me  not  to  mail  that  letter  for 
a  week." 

He  went  to  his  office,  and,  writing  down  thirty 
names,  studied  them  with  anxious  care.  One  man  was 
wanting  in  tact,  another  timid,  another  rash,  and  so 
on.  He  drew  his  pen  through  name  after  name,  till 
the  list  was  reduced  to  sixteen.  Then  he  reversed  the 
process  and  with  still  greater  care  sought  among  the 
sixteen  for  ten,  each  of  whom  had  special  qualifications 
and  all  of  whom  could  work  together  as  one  person. 
Though  they  varied  widely  in  tastes,  attainments,  and 


158  THE  STAND-BY 

social  position,  he  believed  they  were  the  ten  best  men 
in  Apsleigh  for  his  purpose.  He  wrote  to  each,  ask 
ing  him  to  call  at  his  office  the  following  evening. 
Then  he  took  a  photograph  from  a  private  drawer, 
and,  as  he  sat  looking  at  it  as  upon  the  face  of  a  loved 
one  forever  lost,  memory  went  back  to  the  dream  of 
two  years  before :  the  yawning  gulf,  the  shining  one 
upon  the  farther  brink,  the  armies  closing  in  battle, 
Denman  leading  one,  himself  the  other. 

The  ten  came  at  the  appointed  time.  Among  them 
were  those  who  had  advised  Strickland  to  resign.  All 
were  disheartened. 

"  How  would  it  do  to  look  at  the  enemy's  troubles 
as  well  as  our  own?"  inquired  Craigin.  "All  the 
liquor-dealers  but  Denman  have  sentences  hanging 
over  them  and  can  be  shut  up  for  six  months  at  a 
moment's  notice.  Denman  himself  has  been  driven 
out  of  the  business.  It  ;s  a  good  beginning." 

"  A  good  beginning !  "  exclaimed  one  of  the  gentle 
men.  "  Do  you  call  what  we  've  gone  through  only 
the  beginning  ? " 

"  Yes.  We  7ve  had  the  prostration  of  business,  the 
reign  of  terror,  the  agony  and  hate  j  now  comes  the 
steady  march  to  victory." 

"  To  victory !  "  cried  several  at  once. 

"  As  surely  as  God  reigns— if  we  rise  to  our  oppor 
tunities.  We  've  got  rid  of  the  saloon  and  the  bar 
room.  We  must  get  rid  of  the  sneak-holes  and  the 
pocket-bottle  trade.  Denman's  influence  used  to  be 
against  these  things ;  now  the  more  drunkenness  and 
rowdyism,  the  stronger  his  argument  that  prohibition 
can't  prohibit  and  nothing  but  license  can  regulate. 
Public  opinion  will  sustain  us  in  this,  and  Denman 


FORMING  THE  LEAGUE  159 

himself  can't  say  a  word  against  it.  We  must  win 
over  the  almighty  dollar  and  make  it  fight  our  battles. 
They  say  we  're  ruining  Apsleigh.  We  must  answer 
them  with  the  logic  of  growth.  If  it  were  two  thou 
sand  miles  west  the  whole  country  would  ring  with  its 
attractions,  and  its  population  would  double  in  five 
years.  New  England  enterprise  and  capital  have  over 
looked  it  because  it  's  right  at  home.  We  can  boom 
it  with  solid  facts,  for  the  public  good  and  the  triumph 
of  a  righteous  cause,  instead  of  a  money-making  syn 
dicate." 

"  That  >s  something  worth  thinking  of !  "  exclaimed 
Harnett. 

"It  7s  something  worth  doing/'  replied  Craigin. 
"  You  've  been  all  over  this  country ;  did  you  ever  see 
a  prettier  place  ?  " 

"No,"  said  Harnett,  "I  never  did." 

"Places,"  continued  Craigin,  "that  can't  compare 
with  it  have  been  made  famous.  It 's  near  centers  of 
business ;  taxes  are  low,  and  can  be  cut  down  a  third. 
If  its  advantages  were  known,  rich  men  would  come 
here  to  live  and  to  invest  money.  It 's  one  of  the  few 
places  in  the  United  States  where  the  benefit  of  long- 
freight  rates  is  n't  offset  by  increased  cost  of  produc 
tion  incident  to  large  cities." 

"  I  know  our  position  gives  us  long  rates,"  remarked 
Harnett,  "  but  I  've  no  idea  what  the  difference  is." 

"  From  ten  to  twenty  per  cent.,"  said  Craigin,  "  and 
public  attention  has  never  been  called  to  it." 

"  It 's  at  least  three  per  cent,  a  year  on  the  capital 
in  my  business,"  said  Basil  Hunt,  a  manufacturer  of 
fine  furniture.  "  Hard- wood  timber  's  another  item. 
It 's  the  best  point  I  know  of  for  certain  industries,  and 


160  THE  STAND-BY 

they  're  industries  that  employ  the  best  class  of  help. 
I  don't  see  why  your  idea  might  n't  be  carried  out  on  a 
large  scale,  Mr.  Craigin,  if  we  could  once  get  started." 

"  There  's  where  we  have  an  advantage/'  replied 
Craigin.  "Just  now  there  's  an  epidemic  of  booms, 
money-making  schemes,  most  of  'em  fakes.  Ours  will 
be  a  novelty.  Our  position  will  be  that  the  liquor  in 
terest,  to  carry  its  point,  is  trying  to  cripple  the  town, 
and  we,  to  carry  ours,  are  giving  it  a  prosperity  it 
never  dreamed  of.  Men  will  talk  about  it.  Great 
newspapers  and  magazines  will  discuss  it  as  a  social 
problem  and  write  up  the  town  as  a  matter  of  public 
interest.  When  the  city  starts  into  new  life,  property 
doubles  in  value,  everybody 's  making  money,  and  it 's 
understood  that  prohibition  has  brought  it  about, 
where  will  the  almighty  dollar  be  ? " 

"  On  the  side  where  it  's  to  be  made,  every  time," 
said  Hunt. 

"Yes,  and  that  is  n't  all.  When  border  ruffians 
undertook  to  dragoon  Kansas  into  slavery,  the  best 
men  in  the  North  flocked  there  and  made  homes.  We 
shall  get  the  same  class  of  people  here.  We  must  have 
attractive  and  self-supporting  clubs  to  take  the  places 
of  the  saloons.  We  must  educate  all  the  time.  We 
must  have  a  county  organization  with  branches  in 
every  town.  We  must  have  a  system  of  quietly  getting 
at  how  every  man  in  the  county  stands,  and  if  he  's  on 
our  side,  what  kind  of  work  he  's  best  fitted  for.  We 
must  make  our  men  a  trained  and  disciplined  army, 
and  then— then  we  must  fight  our  fight." 

"'Nd  haow?"  asked  John  Rogers  Jones. 

"  The  liquor  interest  must  be  smitten  at  the  polls  by 


FOEMING  THE  LEAGUE  161 

an  organization  more  perfect  than  its  own,  officials 
who  have  been  false  to  their  oaths  of  office  must  give 
place  to  those  who  will  be  true,  and  the  path  of  duty 
must  be  the  path  to  public  honors." 

u  We  're  a  pretty  small  band  to  undertake  such  great 
things,"  remarked  Dr.  Bradford. 

"  Did  n't  Christ  send  twelve  humble  men  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  the  world  ? "  inquired  Craigin. 

"  But  they  had  a  divine  mission." 

"  If  it  is  n't  a  divine  mission  to  lift  this  curse,  in 
God's  name,  what  is  1  No  matter !  Mohammed  was 
a  camel-driver.  Buddha  wandered  in  poverty  and 
alone.  Doctor,  what 's  the  text  about  the  ten  right 
eous  men  who  could  have  saved  Sodom  ?  Is  Apsleigh 
worse  than  Sodom  ?  We  differ  about  the  inspiration 
of  the  Bible,  but  the  lesson 's  the  same.  Ten  righteous 
men  with  fearless  hearts  and  long,  cool  heads  can  save 
any  city,  for  they  will  be  a  nucleus  around  which 
thousands  will  rally.  I  Ve  heard  of  a  knight  who 
stood  with  a  few  companions  and  held  a  pass  against 
a  host  until  the  king  and  his  army  came.  He  died,  but 
he  saved  the  nation.  Gentlemen,  if  you  '11  stand  with 
me,  life  or  death,  we  '11  hold  the  pass  till  Apsleigh  is 
saved,  till  the  king  and  his  army  come— the  king  that 
is  the  people,  the  army  that  is  ballots." 

"  By  God's  help,  we  ten  will  hold  the  pass  with  you !  " 
cried  Bradford. 

Not  a  man  hung  back. 

"  We  '11  call  our  organization  what  it  is,"  said  Har- 

nett :  "  the  League  for  the  Public  Weal ;  and  may  its 

influence  spread  from  county  to  county  and  from  State 

to  State  until  this  great  curse  is  lifted  from  the  land ! " 

11 


II 

THE  BILL 

jHE  suppression  of  the  pocket-bottle  trade 
and  the  dives  was  a  mere  matter  of  vigi 
lance  and  energy.  The  defendants  had  no 
standing  in  the  community,  and,  as  they 
violated  the  federal  revenue  law  as  well  as  the  State 
prohibitory  law,  Uncle  Sam  helped  hunt  them  down 
and  laid  his  heavy  hand  upon  them. 

In  the  mean  time  a  license  bill  was  introduced  be 
fore  the  legislature.  The  Democratic  State  convention 
had  declared  for  license.  According  to  time-honored 
precedent,  the  Republican  State  convention  made  ad 
hesion  to  the  prohibitory  law  a  test  of  party  loyalty. 
Many  Democrats,  however,  believed  in  prohibition, 
many  Republicans  in  license,  and  it  was  doubtful  how 
far  party  platforms  would  control.  Both  houses  of 
the  legislature  were  Republican  by  narrow  majorities. 
The  judiciary  committee  was  evenly  divided.  The 
sachem  of  the  Democracy  advocated  license,  on  the 
ground  that  prohibition  had  never  been  intended  as 
anything  but  political  hypocrisy  whereby  Republicans 
were  to  have  votes,  cranks  law,  and  the  people  whisky. 

162 


THE  BILL  163 

He  was  able  and  eloquent,  and  his  voice  was  potent 
beyond  the  councils  of  his  tribe.  But  Denman  was  the 
one  man  in  the  State  without  whom  the  passage  of  the 
bill  was  impossible.  Others  made  speeches  j  he  fur 
nished  brains  and  money.  The  anti-liquor  men  were 
also  organizing  as  never  before.  On  that  side,  as  on 
the  other,  the  Apsleighshire  delegation  to  the  third 
house  had  come  to  the  front.  The  bill  was  discussed 
everywhere,  at  all  hours. 

"It  is  n't  a  question  of  morals,"  said  one.  "It's  a 
question  of  finance.  The  State  's  full  of  summer 
hotels.  There  's  millions  invested  in  'em.  Their 
guests  spend  millions  every  year  among  our  people.  If 
they  've  got  to  submit  to  boarding-school  rules  they 
won't  come." 

"I  know  a  first-class  summer  hotel,"  replied  Har- 
nett,  "  that  's  always  full  the  season  through,  and  you 
can't  get  a  glass  of  wine  there  for  love  or  money." 

"  Owned  and  filled  by  some  religious  organization, 
is  n't  it?" 

"  No  j  and  it 's  one  of  the  best-paying  properties  on 
the  coast.  The  landlord  says  he  won't  have  liquor  or 
disreputable  women  about,  because  they  drive  away 
the  best  class  of  patrons." 

"Any  man  who  classes  liquor  and  disreputable 
women  together  's  a  fanatic.  I  've  no  doubt  there  're 
fanatics  enough  to  make  a  few  hotels  for  fanatics  pay, 
but  prohibition  enforced  would  bankrupt  the  State  all 
the  same." 

"  The  money,  time,  and  life  drink  costs  would  double 
its  valuation  in  ten  years ;  would  that  bankrupt  it  ? " 
inquired  Craigin. 


164  THE  STAND-BY 

"  If  the  manufacture  could  be  stopped  I  'd  hold  up 
both  hands  for  that,"  said  a  fat,  red-nosed  man ;  "  but, 
as  long  as  it  7s  made,  people  are  going  to  have  it,  law 
or  no  law.  All  you  can  do  is  to  regulate  abuses  and 
make  the  business  respectable." 

"  The  other  day,"  interposed  Dr.  Bradford, "  a  woman 
died  in  Paris.  She  'd  made  a  fortune  keeping  a  brothel. 
As  she  was  dying  she  told  her  daughters  she  'd  look 
down  on  them  from  her  home  in  heaven  and  would 
bless  them  if  they  'd  be  good  girls  and  carry  on  the 
business  respectably,  as  she  had  done." 

"  I  know  a  doctor  of  divinity  who  has  wine  on  his 
table,"  said  a  flashily  dressed  man. 

"  You  mean  the  Rev.  Dr.  Fielding  of  Seamouth  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  do.  He  's  a  minister  of  liberal  ideas  and 
common  sense." 

"  He  's  a  good  man.  He  has  the  courage  to  stand 
almost  alone  among  the  ministers  of  this  State  in  op 
position  to  what  he  honestly  believes  is  fanaticism. 
His  ears  would  tingle  if  he  knew  how  he  's  talked 
about  in  the  bar-rooms  and  worse  places." 

"  How  do  you  know  ?    Do  you  visit  such  places  ? " 

"  We  've  collected  a  vast  deal  of  evidence  in  Apsleigh, 
and  one  item  of  it  is  that  copies  of  Dr.  Fielding's  wine 
bills  are  circulated  in  these  places  to  give  them  the 
mantle  of  his  respectability." 

"I  'm  against  rum  as  much  as  any  one,"  urged  a 
country  member,  "  but  if  you  can't  stop  it,  why  not  do 
the  next  best  thing  ? " 

"  Did  you  ever  know  anything  to  be  done  by  saying 
1  if  it  can't  be ;  ? "  inquired  Craigin. 

"No,  I  never  did." 


THE  BILL  165 

"  Would  you  take  away  the  poor  man's  beer  ? "  cried 
the  agent  of  a  liquor  house. 

"  Yes,  and  the  rich  man's  champagne,  and  the  mo 
nopoly  of  selling  it !  After  the  war/'  continued  Craigin, 
returning  to  the  country  member,  "  there  were  thou 
sands  of  political  murders  in  the  South.  The  feeling 
was  so  strong  against  the  government  that  it  could  n't 
get  evidence,  to  say  nothing  of  convictions.  Suppose 
it  had  tried  what  you  call  the  next  best  thing  ?  Sup 
pose  it  had  said,  i  Negroes  and  white  Republicans  will 
be  shot  or  lynched  anyway ;  we  might  as  well  make 
this  sort  of  thing  respectable  and  get  all  the  money 
out  of  it  we  can '  ? " 

"  It  would  be  damnable !  " 

"  Damnable  to  license  crime,  and  right  to  license  the 
chief  source  of  crime  ? " 

"  I  wish  that  editor  would  stay  at  home  and  mind 
his  own  business !  "  muttered  a  lobbyist,  with  an  oath. 
"  I  had  Hayseed  fixed  j  now  I  've  lost  him  ! " 

"  I  don't  see  what  niggers  has  to  do  with  it ! "  said 
a  cadaverous  man  of  the  kind  that  whisky  makes  thin 
and  pale.  "I  denounce  sumptuary  laws.  They  Jre 
inconsistent  with  personal  liberty." 

"  That  's  exactly  what  the  Liquor-dealers'  Associa 
tion  says,  is  n't  it  ?  "  inquired  Craigin. 

"Yes;  what  of  it?" 

"And  has  been  copied  word  for  word  into  the 
Democratic  State  platform,  has  n't  it  ? " 

"  Yes,  and  it  ;s  gospel  truth." 

"  Of  course !     Why  don't  you  have  a  plank  against 
burning  heretics  ?    That 's  inconsistent  with  personal 
liberty,  too." 
11* 


166  THE  STAND-BY 

"  What  good  would  it  do  ?  Nobody  wants  to  burn 
heretics." 

"Nobody  wants  sumptuary  laws,  either.  Suppose 
I  should  call  your  wood-pile  a  heretic  ? " 

"  'T  would  n't  make  it  one." 

"  As  much  as  what  you  call  a  sumptuary  law  makes 
it  one.  My  dear  sir,  what  do  you  think  a  sumptuary 
law  is?" 

"  Why,  I  suppose  it 's  a— a  liquor  law." 

"It  's  any  law  intended  to  limit  private  expenses. 
The  Spartans  had  laws  against  using  any  money  that 
was  n't  made  of  iron.  The  old  Romans  had  a  law 
that  women  should  n't  wear  dresses  of  more  than  one 
color.  The  French  had  a  law  against  wearing  pointed 
shoes.  The  English  had  a  law  that  only  the  nobility 
should  eat  more  than  one  kind  of  meat  at  dinner,  and 
that  common  people  should  n't  eat  it  more  than  once 
a  day.  The  Scotch  had  a  law  that  no  one  under  the 
rank  of  a  noble  should  eat  pie.  If  the  United  States 
should  shut  out  Turkish  rugs  to  keep  people  from 
spending  their  money,  it  would  be  a  sumptuary  law ; 
but  if  they  should  do  so  to  keep  out  the  Asiatic  cholera, 
it  would  n't  be  a  sumptuary  law.  The  liquor  traffic 
is  worse  than  cholera,  and  the  time  's  coming  when 
it  '11  be  quarantined  from  one  end  of  this  country  to 
the  other." 

"  Not  in  your  day,  young  man,"  cried  an  old  farmer. 
"  What  three  quarters  of  the  people  are  bound  to  have 
they  '11  get,  law  or  no  law !  " 

"  If  that 's  so,"  asked  Bradford,  "  why  are  all  these 
liquor  men  working  so  hard  and  spending  so  much  for 
license  ? " 


THE  BILL  167 

"I  '11  tell  you  why/7  said  Denman,  who  had  just 
come  in.  "  If  the  legislature  should  make  it  a  crime 
to  sell  breadstuifs,  the  flour-dealers,  whether  it  hurt 
their  business  or  helped  it,  would  resist  being  classed 
with  criminals.  It  7s  the  same  with  us." 

So  the  war  of  words  raged  day  after  day  and  night 
after  night.  The  Democratic  leaders  had  promised 
nine  tenths  of  their  following ;  a  fourth  of  it  defied  the 
party  whip  and  voted  against  license.  Denman  made 
no  promises;  but  when  the  roll  was  called,  to  the 
amazement  of  all,  more  than  a  fourth  of  the  Republi 
cans  voted  for  the  bill.  It  passed  the  House  by  a 
majority  of  five.  But  it  could  not  become  a  law  with 
out  passing  the  Senate. 

The  room  was  large  and  airy,  the  windows  were 
open,  the  night  was  clear  and  cool.  Why  did  Den 
man  moan  and  toss  upon  his  bed  ?  Why  did  cold  sweat 
stand  in  beaded  drops  upon  his  brow  ?  What  did  he 
see  in  the  darkness  and  solitude  of  his  chamber  ? 

He  saw  a  man  in  the  early  prime  of  life,  honored 
of  his  fellows,  loved  and  trusted  most  by  those  who 
knew  him  best.  He  saw  a  wife  whose  life  was  in  her 
husband,  who  kissed  him  as  he  came  and  went,  whose 
heart  had  sung  blithely  all  the  day  for  five  happy 
years.  He  saw  little  children  clustering  round  their 
father's  knee,  climbing  into  his  lap,  throwing  their  tiny 
arms  about  his  neck,  hugging  him  tight,  laughing  and 
shouting  in  their  joy.  Again  he  saw  the  man,  an  out 
cast,  pitied,  despised,  shunned.  He  saw  the  woman 
moaning  out  her  life  in  speechless  agony.  He  saw  the 
woeful  children  of  a  drunkard.  He  saw  the  end,  the 


168  THE  STAND-BY 

horrible  delirium.  He  heard  the  dying  shrieks.  He 
heard  the  dropping  of  the  sods  upon  dishonored  clay, 
and  as  they  fell  they  seemed  to  spell  over  and  over  and 
over  again  a  single  word— "  M-u-r-d-e-r."  The  vision 
changed.  The  ghost  of  his  dead  Harry  took  the  place 
of  the  doomed  man,  and  he  heard  the  voice  he  loved 
best  crying,  "  Papa,  your  fortune  drips  with  the  blood 
of  your  own  son  !  n 

Then  he  awoke,  and  though  he  paced  the  floor  in 
agony  and  though  his  whole  soul  loathed  the  work 
he  had  to  do,  his  purpose  never  faltered.  It  was  a 
"  necessary  war  measure."  The  position  of  each  sena 
tor  was  known.  They  stood  a  tie.  The  license  bill 
could  not  become  a  law  unless  Jared  Marston  was 
disposed  of.  There  was  no  other  way  to  dispose  of 
him.  He  was  fearless  and  incorruptible  j  but  he  had 
been  a  drunkard.  He  had  struggled  to  his  feet  several 
times  and  had  now  stood  five  years  without  a  fall,  but 
the  appetite  was  still  mighty  within  him.  If  he  could 
be  made  to  taste  wine  it  would  end  in  a  wild  debauch, 
he  would  not  be  present  to  cast  his  vote,  and  the  bill 
would  become  a  law. 

Denman  was  not  present  at  the  feast.  He  merely 
suggested  his  object  to  the  nominal  giver  and  paid  the 
bills.  The  courses  came  and  went,  and  the  glasses 
stood  untouched  at  Marston's  plate. 

"  Come,  old  man,"  said  the  host  at  last,  "  this  cham 
pagne  is  from  the  choicest  vintage  of  fipernay.  Just 
one  glass  before  we  go !  Just  one  for  friendship's 
sake !  Gentlemen,  we  drink  to  the  coming  man  of  the 
Senate !  Marston,  you  can't  refuse  that !  " 

As  Marston  raised  his  glass  to  return  the  pledge  he 


THE  BILL  169 

read  the  gleam  of  triumph  in  the  tempter's  eye,  put 
down  the  wine  untasted,  and  left  the  room.  Next  day 
he  made  the  speech  of  the  session.  The  license  bill, 
not  the  tempted  senator,  was  lost. 

The  story  of  the  banquet,  though  not  of  Denman's 
share  in  it,  got  into  the  papers,  and  Isabel  read  it. 
"That  was  n't  war/'  she  said  to  herself.  "It  was 
almost  murder.  Papa  could  n't  have  done  such  a 
thing  as  that,  and  yet— who  else  would  furnish  that 
old  brand  of  fipernay,  worth  its  weight  in  gold  ? " 


Ill 

AN  OFFER  AND  A  PURCHASE 

jHE  " Tocsin"  was  a  recognized  and  grow 
ing  power  in  the  State ;  it  had  a  constantly 
increasing  subscription  list,  it  was  well 
and  economically  managed,  and  it  was  be 
coming  bankrupt.  Many  business  men  declared  they 
would  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  organ  of  the  cranks 
who  were  ruining  the  town.  Others  expressed  regret 
that  decrease  of  trade  compelled  them  to  cut  down 
advertising  expenses.  The  "  Times  "  and  the  "  Palla 
dium,"  subsidized  by  Denman,  pushed  competition 
below  cost,  and  the  "  Tocsin  "  had  to  do  business  at  a 
loss  or  not  at  all.  The  first  days  of  the  new  year  were 
black  Fridays.  From  the  first  Craigin  had  taken  half 
his  salary  in  treasury  stock,  which  no  longer  had  any 
market  value.  The  other  half  was  six  months  in  ar- 
rear,  with  no  prospect  of  payment.  His  cash  assets 
had  dwindled  to  six  dollars  and  fifty  cents.  At  this 
juncture  he  was  oifered  an  assistant  editorship  on  a 
great  city  paper. 

"  Gilbert  Riggs,"  he  mused,  as  he  read  the  letter  for 
the  twentieth  time,  "offers  me  five  hundred  dollars 

170 


AN  OFFER  AND  A  PURCHASE  171 

a  month !  Salary  of  a  famous  editorial  writer ! 
Queer !  What  can  he  know  about  me  ?  Where  have 
I  heard  of  him  ?  Ah,  I  remember  now !  He  's  Den- 
man's  second  cousin." 

If  Denman,  without  giving  up  his  own  will,  could 
have  made  Isabel  happy  by  sacrificing  ten  times  six 
thousand  a  year,  he  would  have  done  so  gladly. 
Craigin  had  no  idea  how  much  the  affectionate  old 
man's  heart  was  set  on  the  acceptance  of  this  offer ; 
but,  if  his  suspicion  of  its  source  were  correct,  he  knew 
that  the  gulf  between  him  and  the  Denmans  might 
still  be  bridged.  On  the  one  hand  was  a  ruined  paper, 
an  unpaid  salary,  an  empty  pocket;  on  the  other  an 
extraordinary  opportunity.  There  was  only  a  bare 
suspicion  that  it  might  come  through  Denman.  Why 
should  n't  he  accept  ?  Would  n't  he  be  a  fool  to  de 
cline  ?  Would  n't  it  be  sacrificing  a  future  of  useful 
ness  ?  Did  n't  ministers  of  Christ  almost  always  see  a 
higher  call  in  a  higher  salary  ?  When  did  a  minister 
ever  refuse  to  leave  a  weak  and  discordant  church  for 
a  strong  and  harmonious  one?  But  the  salary  and 
professional  advancement,  much  as  he  longed  for  them, 
were  as  nothing.  Love,  pulling  at  his  heartstrings, 
was  stronger  a  thousandfold,  and  love  said,  "  Go ! " 
He  remembered  his  promise  of  victory,  the  solemn 
compact,  "  By  God's  help,  we  ten  will  hold  the  pass 
with  you  till  the  king  and  his  army  come,"  his  oath, 
"  I  '11  live  and  die  doing  what  I  believe  is  right,  cost 
what  it  will,  so  help  me  God,"  and  his  mind  was  fixed. 
"No  matter  how  this  offer  comes,"  he  said,  "I  '11 
stay." 

"You  must  go,"  said  Harnett,  when  he  saw  the 


172  THE  STAND-BY 

letter.  "  It  's  a  chance  of  a  lifetime,  and  we  can't  run 
much  longer  anyway." 

"  I  Ve  declined  it." 

"  Declined  it !  " 

"  We  must  hold  the  pass  together  till  the  king  and 
his  army  come." 

One  morning,  a  fortnight  after  declining  the  offer 
of  Gilbert  Riggs,  Craigin  called  at  Harnett's  house  be 
fore  daylight. 

"  It 's  annual  meeting  this  afternoon,"  he  said,  "  and 
last  night  I  lay  awake  wondering  why  the  small  stock 
holders  had  n't  dropped  into  the  office  to  talk  things 
over.  They  always  have  before.  Not  counting  Abel 
Gay's,  we  've  got  only  ninety-nine  shares  we  can  de 
pend  on  $  if  Denman  's  got  the  other  hundred  and 
one—" 

"  It 's  the  end  of  the  l  Tocsin ' !  "  exclaimed  Harnett. 

"  Let 's  go  right  over  to  Abbottsford  and  see  Gay," 
said  Craigin. 

Denman  had  had  a  little  business  with  his  lawyer 
the  day  before.  "  Woods,"  he  had  said,  "  when  you  go 
over  to  Abbottsford  this  afternoon  to  make  Gay's  will, 
I  want  you  to  buy  his  three  shares  of  stock  in  the 
Tocsin  Company.  I  Ve  picked  up  ninety-eight,  and 
left  his  to  the  last  because  he  's  so  strong  on  the  other 
side,  but  he  's  such  an  innocent  old  man  he  won't  sus 
pect  anything." 

"  How  much  shall  I  pay  him  f " 

"All  you  can  without  exciting  his  suspicion— the 
more  the  better.  His  widow  '11  need  more  'n  she  '11 
have.  He  's  the  kind  of  man  that  '11  want  to  leave 
cash  on  hand  for  funeral  expenses.  He  '11  talk  it  all 


AN  OFFER  AND  A  PURCHASE  173 

over  with  you,  and  tell  you  what  he 's  got,  and  ask  you 
what  he  'd  better  sell.  There  won't  be  any  trouble  if 
you  work  it  right." 

As  Denman  predicted,  the  sick  man  was  talkative 
and  unsuspecting. 

" Wall,  I  vum ! "  exclaimed  Gay,  "if  ye  hain't  an 
honest  lawyer !  I  'd  no  idee  the  stock  was  wu'th  a 
quarter  so  much.  Hain't  never  paid  nothin'.  Must 
been  layin'  up  money  fer  presses  'nd  things,  I  guess. 
It 's  at  the  Apsleigh  Bank.  I  '11  give  ye  an  order  for 
't  now." 

The  offer  was  embarrassing,  asHarnett  was  president 
of  the  bank. 

"  I  won't  trouble  you  to  do  that,"  said  Woods,  "  be 
cause,  you  see,  it  would  have  to  be  sent  down  here  for 
you  to  sign.  If  you  sign  one  of  these  blank  proxies 
it  '11  do  for  now,  and  you  can  make  over  the  stock  any 
time  in  a  few  days." 

The  proxy  was  signed,  and  Woods  began  counting 
out  the  money. 

"  I  won't  take  a  cent,"  said  Gay,  "  till  I  give  ye  the 
stock;  that  's  business.  What  's  yer  rush?  I  wish 
ye  'd  stay  longer." 

But  the  lawyer  saw  the  doctor  coming,  and  hurried 
away  with  the  proxy  in  his  pocket. 

"  Wall,  naow,  I  do  vum ! "  exclaimed  Gay,  when 
Harnett  and  Craigin  had  opened  his  eyes.  "'Nd  so 
they  want  to  bu'st  the  paper  ?  'Nd  ye  say  them  three 
shares  '11  do  it  ?  Gold  would  n't  have  bought  'em  if 
I  'd  known  it,  'nd  they  sha'n't  have  'em  naow  if  I  can 
help  it ;  but  I  've  signed  somethin'.  Mother,  won't  ye 
see  if  there  hain't  some  more  like  it  ? " 


174  THE  STAND-BY 

"Mother,"  who  was  his  wife,  and  his  junior  by 
twenty  years,  produced  the  box  of  papers. 

"  'T  was  like  this  'ere,"  said  Gay. 

"  Why,  it 's  only  a  proxy,"  replied  Harnett.  "  You  've 
a  perfect  right  to  revoke  it  this  minute  if  you  have  n't 
taken  pay  for  the  stock." 

"  I  hain't,"  Gay  answered,  "  'nd,  what 's  more,  I  won't, 
nuther ! " 

Woods  attended  the  annual  meeting  without  a  doubt 
of  the  result. 

"  I  see  you  represent  ninety-eight  shares,"  remarked 
the  president  of  the  company. 

"  Ninety-eight !  "  exclaimed  Woods.  "  I  represent  a 
hundred  and  one." 

"  Only  ninety-eight,  Mr.  Woods.  Mr.  Gay  has  re 
voked  the  proxy  he  gave  you  yesterday.  He  has  sold 
the  stock  to  me.  Here  is  the  certificate  and  here  is 
the  transfer-book." 


IV 

ONE  TO  SIX 

•T  'S  bankruptcy  if  we  don't  do  something 
right  off,"  said  Craigin.     "  There  must  be 
people  in  New  York  and  Boston  who  'd 
give  us  job-work  if  they  knew  what  we  're 
trying  to  do  and  how  hard  up  we  are." 

"  I  had  n't  thought  of  that,"  replied  Harnett.  "  I  've 
a  friend  in  New  York  who  can  give  us  lots  of  printing 
and  put  us  in  the  way  of  getting  more.  I  '11  go  and 
see  him." 

He  got  a  good  contract,  on  condition  that  it  should 
be  done  at  a  specified  time.  With  it  came  half  a  dozen 
journeymen  printers  of  a  class  familiar  throughout 
the  country— men  who  journey,  working  but  a  short 
time  in  a  place,  the  aristocracy  of  trampdom,  bright, 
intelligent,  reckless,  turbulent.  A  week  passed,  and 
there  were  signs  of  trouble.  The  men  became  sullen 
and  insolent.  Their  leader,  known  as  "  Stub  Short," 
—for  the  reason,  probably,  that  he  was  tall,— was  a 
skilled  workman,  and  all  day  his  pica  had  looked 
like  pi. 

"  We  can't  send  out  such  work  as  that,"  said  Craigin. 
175 


176  THE  STAND-BY 

"  It  's  better  'n  we  're  paid  for,"  replied  Short,  with 
an  oath.  "  If  you  don't  like  it,  you  can  lump  it." 

Five  minutes  later  the  six  new  men  demanded  their 
pay  and  left  the  office.  Craigin  at  once  wired  for 
more  help,  and  had  no  difficulty  in  getting  it.  The 
new  type-setters,  ten  girls,  came  on  an  afternoon  train. 
That  evening  the  editor  worked  late,  and  after  he  had 
finished  writing  turned  off  the  gas  and  sat  in  one  of 
his  reveries.  The  city  clock  struck  one,  reminding 
him  that  it  was  past  his  bedtime.  As  he  arose  to  put 
on  his  overcoat  he  heard  stealthy  footsteps  outside. 
He  peeped  out,  and  in  the  moonlight,  just  under  the 
counting-room  windows,  he  saw  the  six  journeymen 
printers.  There  was  a  ventilator  in  one  of  the  win 
dows.  He  opened  it  noiselessly  and  listened,  screen 
ing  himself  with  the  curtain. 

"When  we  Ve  smashed  his  old  printing-presses," 
Short  was  saying,  "it  '11  bu'st  the  whole  shooting- 
match.  They  have  n't  got  any  money  to  buy  new 
ones." 

They  were  six  to  one,  engaged  in  a  State-prison 
crime.  Craigin  had  no  fear  for  himself,  and  no  com 
punction  about  killing  them  if  necessary.  He  had  the 
build  of  a  prize-fighter,  was  a  skilled  boxer,  was  quick 
as  a  cat,  and  had  kept  his  muscle  in  good  condition ; 
above  all,  he  was  on  the  defensive  and  his  presence 
was  unkDown. 

A  hard- wood  ruler  lay  on  his  desk.  He  seized  it 
and  once  more  peeped  out.  The  men  were  stealthily 
approaching  the  entrance  of  the  building,  Short  bring 
ing  up  the  rear,  the  quarter  from  which  danger  was 
apprehended.  They  had  a  skeleton  key  that  fitted  the 


ONE   TO   SIX  177 

lock.  Craigin  took  his  position  close  to  the  door,  and 
as  the  first  man  entered  he  received  a  blow  on  the  head 
and  fell  without  a  groan.  The  next  man  was  disposed 
of  in  the  same  way.  The  others  started  back. 

"  There  's  only  one  man/7  cried  Short,  with  an  oath. 
"  Down  him !  n 

There  was  a  wild  rush,  four  to  one.  In  taking  his 
position  at  the  door  Craigin  had  the  advantage  of  the 
first  attack,  but  exposed  himself  to  the  danger  of  be 
ing  surrounded.  It  was  now  his  object  to  reach  the 
double  doors  opening  from  the  counting-room  to  his 
private  office,  for  the  four  would  then  be  in  front  of 
him.  He  retreated,  getting  in  one  good  blow  with  his 
ruler.  It  was  the  work  of  an  instant.  As  he  reached 
his  new  position  he  saw  a  universe  of  stars  and  felt  as 
if  he  were  floating  through  immeasurable  space.  Some 
one  had  struck  him  a  heavy  blow  from  behind.  He 
staggered,  almost  fell,  and  the  ruler  dropped  from  his 
hand.  A  foot  struck  it,  and  it  went  flying  through  the 
open  doors  into  the  private  office,  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  enemy.  The  stars,  the  celestial  journey,  passed 
away,  and  in  their  place  the  tiger  that  sleeps  in  human 
nature  sprang  forth.  Craigin  fought  with  a  cool  head 
and  a  quick  eye.  He  was  hit  several  times,  for  they 
all  were  at  him  at  once,  but  now  and  again  he  got  in 
a  blow  that  sent  an  enemy  reeling  to  the  floor.  Three 
and  a  half  to  one,— one  man  had  a  broken  arm,— he 
stood  them  off,  punishing  them  worse  than  they  pun 
ished  him,  until  Short  became  furious  and  reckless. 
Like  Craigin,  he  was  a  quick,  powerful  man  and  a 
trained  athlete.  At  some  time  in  his  vagrant  career 
he  had  been  a  circus  tumbler,  and  had  learned  how  to 
12 


178  THE  STAND-BY 

do  what  would  knock  the  life  out  of  a  man  like  a 
cannon-ball. 

"  Stand  back !  "  he  shouted,  forgetting  that  the  night 
police  might  hear  him.  " Stand  back!  I  '11  finish 
him ! " 

The  next  instant  he  was  a  wheel  in  air,  then  a 
projectile,  shooting  forward,  feet  foremost,  straight 
for  Craigin's  abdomen.  Craigin's  alertness  and 
agility  saved  his  lif  e.  He  sprang  backward  and  to  the 
left,  barely  escaping  the  tremendous  blow.  As  Short 
recovered  himself  with  the  skill  that  had  won  plaudits 
in  the  circus  ring  Craigin's  powerful  shoulders  shot 
forward  and  his  right  arm  straightened  like  a  flash  of 
lightning.  His  knuckle-bones  cracked  and  splintered 
as  his  fist  met  the  terrible  momentum.  Short  fell  as 
an  ox  falls  beneath  a  butcher's  ax.  While  his  com 
rades  stood  stupidly  staring  at  him  two  policemen 
rushed  in  with  revolvers  drawn. 

A  few  days  later  Craigin  visited  four  of  the  journey 
men  printers  at  the  hospital. 

"I  shall  have  to  go  to  prison  just  the  same,"  said 
Short,  speaking  painfully  through  a  broken  jaw ;  "  but 
I  have  n't  got  anything  against  you,  and  I  'm  going 
to  tell  you  all  about  it.  You  used  us  as  well  as  any 
body  could.  I  would  n't  have  tried  anything  of  that 
sort  if  I  had  n't  been  hired  to." 

"Hired  to?" 

"  I  met  a  man  near  a  lonely  place  I  used  to  visit- 
no  matter  what  for.  It  was  in  the  night  and  dark,  and 
he  knew  when  I  would  be  there.  He  told  me  if  I  'd 
get  up  a  strike  and  smash  your  printing-presses  he  'd 
pay  me  three  thousand  dollars.  He  gave  me  a  thou- 


ONE  TO  SIX  179 

sand  to  show  he  meant  business,  and  was  to  give  me 
the  other  two  thousand  that  night,  and  hide  us  where 
we  could  n't  be  found,  and  help  us  to  get  away.  He 
was  n't  far  off  at  the  time  of  the  fight." 

"  Short,  you  7re  lying  to  me !  " 

"  It  's  the  living  truth,  so  help  me  God !  The  man 
was  got  up  so  his  own  mother  could  n't  swear  to  him, 
and  he  tried  to  disguise  his  voice,  but  I  knew  it  just 
as  well  as  I  know  yours.  He  was  John  Denman." 

"John Denman  !  "  exclaimed  Craigin.  "  Impossible  ! " 

Then  he  remembered  Denman's  warning :  "  I  want 
to  tell  you  fair  and  plain  that  if  this  thing  goes  on  I 
sha'n't  shrink  from  necessary  war  measures.  I  'm 
outside  the  pale  of  the  law,  and  of  course  you  '11 
understand  that,  if  I  were  to  be  bound  by  what  you 
might  consider  fair  fighting,  I  ?d  be  helpless." 

"  I  know  it  was  Denman,"  repeated  Short. 

"  Short,  I  want  you  to  promise  me  one  thing  j  will 
you?" 

"Yes,  I  will,  Mr.  Craigin.  I  know  you  won't  ask 
what  is  n't  fair  to  me." 

"  Don't  tell  any  one." 

"  You  mean  what  I  've  told  you  about  Denman  ? " 

"Yes." 

"The  cops  found  the  money  on  me  that  night. 
They  've  been  at  me  about  it  ever  since,  and  I  told  ;em 
the  whole  story  to-day— everything  I  Ve  told  you,  and 
all  the  particulars." 

Though  Short's  statement  was  kept  from  the  press, 
it  passed  from  lip  to  lip  like  wild-fire.  The  thousand 
dollars  found  on  his  person  strongly  corroborated  it, 
and  it  was  generally  believed.  As  the  community  had 


180  THE  STAND-BY 

not  adopted  Denman's  theory  of  "  necessary  war  mea 
sures,"  it  hurt  him  and  his  cause  immensely.  It  helped 
Craigin  more  than  almost  anything  else  could  have 
done.  It  made  him  the  idol  of  hundreds  who  had 
been  bitterly  opposed  to  prohibition.  It  won  him 
universal  admiration.  All  the  world  loves  a  fighter. 
Denman  realized  how  much  he  had  lost,  how  much 
Craigin  had  gained,  but  this  was  as  nothing  to  his  re 
buke  from  the  one  he  loved  best.  "  Papa,"  she  said, 
the  day  after  the  attack  on  the  printing-onice,  "  papa, 
you  were  out  late  last  night !  "  He  started  as  if  a  ser 
pent  had  stung  him,  and  shrank  in  horror  from  the 
eyes  he  knew  were  reading  his  heart.  His  daughter's 
face  turned  deathly  pale,  her  lip  curled,  and  her  voice 
trembled  with  withering  scorn  as  she  added,  "  I  prom 
ised  to  stand  with  John  Denman,  right  or  wrong, 
fighting  against  God ;  but  I  never  promised  to  stand 
with  midnight  ruffians,  six  to  one !  Oh,  it  was  cow 
ardly!" 


THE  VOICE  OF  MAMMON 

)HE  attempt  to  wreck  the  "  Tocsin  "  aroused 
an  American  sense  of  fair  play  and,  by 
bringing  the  Tocsin  Publishing  Com 
pany  its  share  of  job-work  and  advertis 
ing,  put  it  on  a  paying  basis.  Craigin's  pluck  and 
popularity,  his  dramatic  midnight  victory,  one  to  six, 
and  the  business  ability  and  qualities  of  generalship 
he  had  already  shown,  revived  the  courage  of  the  anti- 
liquor  wing  of  the  Republican  party  in  Apsleighshire, 
made  him  its  unquestioned  leader,  and  won  for  his 
plans  the  financial  backing  of  several  wealthy  men. 

The  city  was  still  suffering  greatly  from  want  of  a 
hotel.  Denman  had  made  a  standing  offer  to  lease  the 
Apsleighshire  House  at  a  rental  that  would  have  been 
reasonable  in  ordinary  times  and  with  a  thriving  bar 
trade.  Much  to  his  surprise,  the  offer  was  accepted, 
and  good  security  for  the  payment  of  rent  was  given. 
An  experienced  hotel  man  took  the  house,  subject  to 
conditions  imposed  by  the  League,  on  a  small  percen 
tage  of  gross  receipts  and  a  large  one  of  net  profits. 
As  soon  as  it  was  opened  eleven  persons  under  perfect 
12*  181 


182  THE   STAND-BY 

system  and  hundreds  who  were  fast  learning  system 
set  themselves  at  work  to  make  it  pay.  Every  week 
a  great  sleigh-ride  or  some  other  entertainment  ended 
with  a  supper  at  the  Apsleighshire  House.  While 
snow  still  lingered  on  the  hills  a  circular  was  prepared, 
setting  forth  the  charms  of  Apsleigh  as  a  summer  re 
sort  and  the  reasons  for  calling  attention  to  them. 
Letters  were  written  to  temperance  men  in  all  parts 
of  the  country,  asking  the  names  of  people  who  would 
be  likely  to  patronize  such  a  house,  and  hundreds  of 
women  wrote  to  friends,  urging  them  to  take  their 
summer  outing  in  Apsleigh  and  to  influence  every  one 
they  could  to  do  the  same.  The  "  Tocsin  "  put  the  case 
in  such  a  way  that  the  press  from  one  end  of  the 
country  to  the  other  took  it  up  and  discussed  it. 
People  who  had  never  heard  of  Apsleigh  before  be 
came  interested  in  it  as  a  social  problem,  and  it  was 
written  about  from  all  points  of  view. 

The  problem  was  not  how  to  get  visitors  enough,  but 
what  to  do  with  so  many.  The  League  established  a 
bureau.  People  whose  houses  were  large  and  whose 
incomes  were  small  were  enabled  to  fill  the  one 
and  increase  the  other.  Apsleighshire  was  a  river, 
lake,  and  mountain  county,  with  fine  drives  and  good 
fishing,  and  the  bureau  extended  its  operations  to  all 
the  attractive  portions  of  it.  Taking  great  pains  to 
know  what  kind  of  entertainment  would  be  given, 
representing  things  as  they  were,  and  working  for  a 
purpose  that  was  understood  far  and  near,  it  retained 
and  multiplied  its  patrons.  Looking  backward  a  few 
months,  the  filling  of  the  Apsleighshire  House  seemed 
to  belong  to  the  day  of  small  things.  The  League  had 


THE  VOICE  OF  MAMMON  183 

made  the  county  a  popular  resort  and  had  put  hun 
dreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  into  the  pockets  of  its 
inhabitants.  As  it  had  charged  commissions,  it  also 
had  a  nice  little  sum  of  money  on  hand. 

One  morning  the  next  winter  Harnett  entered  the 
"  Tocsin  "  office  with  a  Boston  daily  in  his  hand. 

"Craigin,"  he  exclaimed,  "the  Crawford  Cutlery 
Works  at  Steel  Haven  have  been  burned  to  the  ground, 
—carelessness  of  a  drunken  workman,— and  I  believe 
we  can  get  Crawford  to  rebuild  here.'7 

"What  makes  you  think  so?" 

"  I  got  acquainted  with  him  last  summer  at  Watch 
Hill.  He  's  one  of  our  kind  of  people  on  the  temper 
ance  question,  and  I  told  him  all  about  what  we  're 
trying  to  do.  I  told  him  about  freight  rates,  and  tax 
ation,  and  cost  of  living,  and  everything.  He  said 
then  that  he  'd  had  one  very  costly  accident  caused  by 
drunken  workmen  and  was  sick  of  it,  and  that  if  it 
was  n't  for  his  big  plant  he  'd  come.  I  could  see  he 
meant  what  he  said.  We  've  got  the  advantage  of 
Steel  Haven  in  every  way.  If  he  rebuilds  there  he  '11 
have  to  pay  taxes  right  along.  If  he  comes  here  he 
can  get  an  exemption  for  ten  years.  Freight  rates 
here  are  ten  per  cent,  lower,  the  cost  of  living  for 
workmen  less,  and  wages  about  the  same.  Besides, 
Crawford 's  made  a  large  fortune  and  wants  to  live  in 
a  place  that  is  n't  altogether  a  factory  town,  where 
there  are  pleasant  surroundings  such  as  we  have  here, 
and  where  his  family  can  have  better  society  and  better 
advantages.  Let 's  go  down  there  and  talk  it  over  with 
him  and  see  what  we  can  do." 

"  We  must  take  all  the  facts  and  figures  we  can  get 


184  THE  STAND-BY 

that  bear  on  the  cost  of  doing  business  here/7  replied 
Craigin.  "We  must  be  able  to  prove  them.  Seems 
to  me  we  'd  better  take  Basil  Hunt  with  us,  too  j  he  's 
a  practical  manufacturer." 

"  Now  that  I  've  got  to  build  from  the  foundations/' 
said  Crawford,  after  thoroughly  investigating  the  facts 
and  figures,  "  I  '11  do  it  in  a  community  that  's  try 
ing  to  build  from  the  foundations  too." 

The  money  put  in  circulation  by  summer  visitors 
and  by  the  great  steel-works  helped  the  League  im 
mensely.  As  soon  as  it  was  known  why  the  steel 
works  were  coming  to  Apsleigh,  the  mighty  voice  of 
Mammon  was  heard  on  every  street  corner  preaching 
from  a  new  text. 


VI 

SEVEN  DEVILS 

»R.  BRADFORD/'  said  Craigin,  one  Monday 
morning,  "  I  heard  your  sermon  yesterday 
about  the  seven  devils." 

"Yes,  I  saw  you  there.  I  would  n't 
want  to  proselyte,  even  among  you  unbelieving  Uni 
tarians,  but  I  7m  always  delighted  to  see  you  at  my 
church." 

"  Thanks !  1 'm  glad  to  go  now  and  then.  My  father 
was  of  your  creed  almost  as  long  as  he  lived,  and 
my  ancestors  were,  from  the  time  of  the  "  Mayflower." 
But  about  those  seven  devils!  The  man  had  one 
devil.  He  pitched  him  out  neck  and  heels,  and  cleaned 
up  the  house,  and  put  everything  in  apple-pie  order. 
Then,  pretty  soon,  he  got  so  lonesome  all  by  himself 
he  could  n't  stand  it,  and  so  he  went  out  and  picked 
up  seven  other  devils  and  brought  'em  home  with  him 
and  was  worse  off  than  ever.  He  wanted  to  draw  the 
line  on  that  kind  of  company,  but  when  it  came  to 
doing  it,  he  was  n't  quite  equal  to  it.  That  sort  of 
thing  's  happening  all  the  time,  and  we  ;ve  got  to  look 
out  for  it  here." 

185 


186  THE  STAND-BY 

"What  are  you  driving  at  now?"  inquired  the 
clergyman. 

"What  I  suggested  when  we  formed  the  League. 
There  are  hundreds  of  men  and  grown-up  boys  in  town 
who  have  places  to  eat  and  sleep,  but  no  homes.  A 
boarding-house  is  n't  a  home.  A  good  many  of  them 
go  into  society  of  one  kind  or  another  and  are  on  call 
ing  terms  at  private  houses ;  more,  perhaps,  are  mem 
bers  of  secret  fraternities,  Chautauquan  circles,  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  so  forth  •  but  still  there  are  hundreds 
practically  turned  loose  on  the  streets  by  the  closing 
of  the  saloons  and  bar-rooms,  with  really  no  place  to 
spend  their  evenings.  We  need  a  good  substitute  for 
the  saloons." 

"  Such  as  what?" 

"A  place  with  all  their  attractiveness  and  freedom, 
without  their  evil  influences— a  place  attractive,  not 
to  refined  and  educated  people,  but  to  that  class  of 
men,  and  especially  the  men  that  society,  and  the 
Masons,  and  Odd  Fellows,  and  Knights  of  Pythias,  and 
Chautauquans,  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  the  churches 
don't  reach.  It  seems  to  me  that  we  must  have  such 
a  place,  and  that  whether  we  can  make  a  success  of  it 
depends  mainly  on  you." 

"On  me!     Why  on  me?" 

"  Because  you  ;re  at  the  head  of  a  great  church  and 
are  the  leading  orthodox  minister  in  the  city.  No  one 
else  can  put  the  brakes  on  those  who  will  want  such 
a  place  run  on  religious  lines  as  you  can  do,  if  you 
only  will.  The  men  we  need  to  reach  won't  stand  it. 
They  can  go  to  lectures  and  churches  and  prayer-meet 
ings  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  if 


SEVEN  DEVILS  187 

they  want  to,  but  they  don't  want  to.  If  we  shoot  too 
high  we  sha'n't  hit  our  game.  Lots  of  unselfish  Chris 
tian  men,  like  Pemberton,  for  instance,  would  make 
it  a  failure;  and  when  it  comes  to  such  persons  as 
Deacon  Follett  and  Mrs.  Hudson— you  're  about  the 
only  one  in  town  who  can  keep  'em  from  trying  to 
save  souls." 

"  I  see  what  you  mean,  but  it  sounds  odd." 

"  Yes  ?  If  they  ever  saved  a  soul  it  might  be  differ 
ent.  If  these  men  feel  free  to  enjoy  themselves,  no 
end  of  good  may  come  of  it  j  but  if  Deacon  Follett  and 
Mrs.  Hudson  get  after  'em,  they  '11  run  like  sheep." 

"  I  've  no  doubt  of  it." 

"The  deacon  would  n't  be  allowed  to  infest  the 
Apsleigh  Club  with  his  prayers  and  tracts  and  to  talk 
down  to  the  members  as  if  they  were  outcasts  of  God. 
My  idea  is  to  have  what  must  be  in  the  main  a  poor 
man's  club  with  all  the  unwritten  social  rights  of  a 
rich  man's  club— a  place  where  they  can  enjoy  them 
selves  in  their  own  way,  so  long  as  it 's  innocent." 

"  That  brings  us  to  the  question  of  what  is  innocent, 
and  I  'm  afraid  we  can't  agree  among  ourselves  on 
that  any  more  than  we  can  with  Denman  on  the  liquor 
question." 

"  Perhaps  so ;  but  that 's  where  you  can  help  again 
more  than  any  one  else.  We  've  got  to  have  cards  and 
billiards  and  tobacco." 

"  I  don't  see  how  such  a  club  can  be  run  without," 
replied  Bradford,  "but  I  don't  know  what  Brother 
Pemberton  will  say.  I  'm  afraid  he  '11  say  they  're 
associated  with  gambling-  and  drinking-places." 

"  So  are  oysters,"  observed  Craigin. 


188  THE  STAND-BY 

"But  oysters  are  associated  with  church  festivals," 
remarked  Bradford. 

"  Yes,  in  homeopathic  doses.  They  say  the  rule  for 
making  church  stews  is  one  oyster  to  a  barrel  of  stew. 
But,  doctor,  the  devil  holds  his  grip  because  so  many 
people  think  what  's  used  for  him  should  n't  be  used 
against  him.  Where  's  the  common  sense  of  giving 
him  the  best  of  everything  ?  Take  the  theater !  Take 
"  Little  Lord  Fauntleroy,'  for  instance  !  The  play,  like 
the  story,  is  an  evangel,  teaching  the  simple  loving- 
kindness  which  made  Christ,  as  I  think,  the  greatest 
of  men,  or,  as  you  think,  the  Son  of  God." 

"I  don't  believe  even  Brother  Pemberton  would 
object  to  'Little  Lord  Fauntleroy,'"  said  Bradford. 
"Perhaps  he  won't  to  cards  and  billiards  under  the 
circumstances.  Suppose  I  ring  him  up  and  get  him 
down  here  ?  " 

Somewhat  to  their  surprise,  the  Rev.  Francis  Pem 
berton  did  not  object.  "On  general  principles,"  he 
said,  "  I  don't  approve  of  cards  and  billiards.  In  most 
cases  they  're  stepping-stones  to  things  that  are  bad, 
and  are  almost  always  a  waste  of  time ;  but  in  this  case 
they  ;re  stepping-stones  to  things  that  are  good.  Of 
course  I  'd  rather  have  these  men  Methodists  and  take 
them  into  my  church,  but  I  '11  do  all  I  can  to  help  in 
your  way,  even  if  it  is  n't  quite  mine." 

"  I  'm  awfully  glad  you  can  see  it  as  we  do ! "  ex 
claimed  Craigin,  grasping  his  hand.  "  With  you  and 
Dr.  Bradford  for  it,  and  Deacon  Follett  against  it, 
there  won't  be  the  slightest  trouble." 

"  It  '11  take  considerable  money,  won't  it  ? "  inquired 
Bradford. 


SEVEN  DEVILS  189 

"  We  Ve  got  five  thousand  dollars  that  the  bureau  's 
made  for  us.  It  seems  to  me  that  's  enough  to  start 
with,"  replied  Craigin. 

"  Five  thousand  dollars !  n  exclaimed  Pemberton. 
"  Would  you  put  all  that  into  this  club  ? " 

"Why  not?  It  is  n't  more  than  one  man  in  com 
fortable  circumstances  would  put  into  a  house.  We 
could  n't  fit  up  an  attractive  saloon  with  less,  and  we  ;ve 
got  to  have  more  room  than  a  saloon  has.  We  Ve  got 
to  have  lots  of  room,  all  the  appointments— plain,  but 
comfortable— of  a  good  club,  a  parlor  with  piano, 
carpets,  and  pictures,  a  gymnasium,  smoking-,  read 
ing-,  and  billiard-rooms,  a  cafe.  All  these  things  cost 
money.  We  Ve  got  to  have  a  good  manager  at  a  liv 
ing  salary.  We  Ve  got  to  do  the  square  thing  if  we  're 
to  make  a  success  of  it  and  make  it  pay." 

"  Make  it  pay !  "  cried  Bradford  and  Pemberton  to 
gether. 

"We  Ve  made  the  hotel  and  bureau  pay,"  replied 
Craigin.  "  We  '11  make  this  pay.  Men  who  Ve  spent 
dollars  every  week  in  saloons  won't  kick  over  as  much 
every  month  for  something  better  j  if  they  do  they  're 
not  worth  saving.  We  must  n't  treat  them  like  pau 
pers.  It  won't  do  to  make  them  objects  of  charity. 
Suppose  the  dues  are  only  a  dollar  a  month;  the 
billiard-tables  will  earn  a  good  deal,  and  coffee,  ice 
cream,  soda,  mineral  waters,  cigars,  tobacco,  and  the 
like  will  bring  in  a  good  deal  more." 

"  Would  you  sell  tobacco  and  cigars  ? "  asked  Pem 
berton. 

"Yes,  if  smoking  is  allowed  on  the  premises— and 
men  won't  come  together  if  they  can't  smoke." 


190  THE  STAND-BY 

"  But  lots  of  people  will  think  it  is  n't  consistent  to 
sell  tobacco  and  keep  others  from  selling  beer." 

"  Of  course !  But  we  draw  a  line  between  tobacco 
and  beer.  If  it 's  right  to  use  a  thing,  it  must  be  right 
to  sell  it.  If  it  's  wrong  to  sell  it,  it  must  be  wrong  to 
use  it.  The  two  things  go  together ;  you  can't  sepa 
rate  them.  I  don't  see  how  a  man  who  drinks  can  say 
a  word  against  a  man  for  selling  without  condemning 
himself." 

The  Apsleigh  Brotherhood  became  a  great  success. 
Men  who  went  from  curiosity  and  because  they  had 
nowhere  else  to  go  stayed  because  they  liked  it.  It 
was  the  history  of  the  Reform  Club  repeated  on  a 
larger  scale.  Craigin  won  their  hearts  before  they 
knew  it,  and  those  who  could  and  those  who  could 
not  understand  his  self-sacrifice  and  moral  heroism 
loved  the  friendly  grip  of  the  scarred  hand  that  had 
smashed  the  ruffian's  jaw. 

Meanwhile  other  work  was  going  on.  Through  all 
the  instrumentalities  at  its  command  the  League  was 
secretly  and  systematically  finding  out  how  each  man 
in  the  county  stood,  what  sort  of  a  man  he  was,  and, 
if  he  were  with  them,  what  he  could  best  do.  Cap 
tains  were  chosen,  the  county  was  divided  into  military 
districts,  and  secret  records  began  to  show  who,  in 
every  hamlet,  in  every  farm-house,  would  answer  the 
call  to  arms  on  the  day  of  battle  that  was  approaching. 


VII 

IN  ITS  MAJESTY 

;R.  CHARLES  BYRD  was  the  leading  drug 
gist  in  Apsleigh. 

"  That  young  man  is  not  adapted  to  this 
latitude/'  he  remarked  one  day,  as  Craigin 
was  passing. 

"  Neither  was  Jesus  Christ,"  replied  a  customer. 
Byrd  raised  his  eyebrows  with  an  expression  of 
pious  horror. 

"  I  mean  what  I  say,"  continued  the  customer.  "  If 
Christ  had  n't  hit  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  and  rulers 
of  the  synagogue  he  'd  have  been  the  most  fashionable 
preacher  of  the  day  instead  of  the  Crucified  One,  the 
Light  of  the  Ages.  The  same  class  that  hunted  him 
to  death  would  drive  Craigin  out  of  town  if  they 
could ! " 

"Why,"  exclaimed  Byrd,  "I— I  thought  you  were 
one  of  the  old  board  of  aldermen  ? " 

"So  I  was,  but  I  had  the  honor  to  belong  to  the 
minority  that  did  n't  vote  to  perjure  themselves." 

Ex- Alderman  Capen,  having  made  his  purchase  and 
freed  his  mind,  went  out;  and  Mr.  Byrd  inwardly 

191 


192  THE  STAND-BY 

thanked  God  that  he,  Mr.  Byrd,  was  not  a  sinner  like 
other  men,  and,  above  all,  that  he  was  not  guilty  of 
blasphemy  like  Mr.  Capen.  Mr.  Byrd  was  a  pillar  in 
one  of  the  churches.  He  lived  on  Apsleigh  Avenue, 
was  a  director  in  a  bank,  and,  while  not  rich  in  the 
sense  that  Denman  was,  could  have  put  up  collateral 
for  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  and  still  have  had 
a  modest  competence  left.  Mr.  Byrd  had  thought  it 
proper  to  proceed  against  Bridget  Maloney,  who  had 
sold  uncommonly  poor  whisky  to  uncommonly  dis 
reputable  customers.  He  had  approved  the  suppression 
of  the  sneak-holes  and  the  pocket-bottle  trade,  on  high 
moral  grounds  as  well  as  for  pecuniary  reasons  inci 
dent  to  his  business.  If  anything  further  was  to  be 
done,  the  prosecution  of  Denman  was  unavoidable,  for 
he  had  handled,  either  wholesale  or  retail,  most  of  the 
liquor  drunk  in  the  county.  The  enforcement  of  law 
against  Mr.  Byrd's  drug  store,  sumptuous  with  plate- 
glass  and  mahogany,  was,  in  Mr.  Byrd's  opinion,  quite 
a  different  matter. 

The  "drought"  had  caused  a  great  demand  for 
"medicine."  Mr.  Byrd  was  a  law-abiding  druggist 
with  customers  who,  he  thought,  might  talk  too  freely 
or  stagger  into  the  clutches  of  the  police.  He  sold  to 
others  as  "a  special  favor,"  and,  as  these  "special 
favors"  were  somewhat  hazardous,  charged  accord 
ingly.  The  proscription  of  the  regular  trade  brought 
thousands  of  dollars  to  him. 

One  day  he  received  an  invitation  to  appear  before 
the  police  court,  and  although  the  occasion  was  not 
festive  nor  the  company  select,  it  could  not  be  declined. 
He  paid  his  fifty  dollars  and  costs,  and  was  warned 


IN  ITS  MAJESTY  193 

that  the  next  time  it  would  be  imprisonment.  After 
that  he  sold  "  medicine  "  more  cautiously.  It  went  by 
all  sorts  of  innocent  names.  He  did  not  put  the  store 
label  on  the  bottles.  He  wrapped  them  in  white  paper, 
guiltless  of  printers'  ink,  and  hid  them  in  a  dark  corner 
of  the  cellar.  It  was  months  before  he  was  again 
molested.  The  business  was  so  profitable  that  his 
avarice  got  the  better  of  his  discretion  and  he  began 
to  conduct  it  on  a  larger  scale.  "  They  won't  dare  to 
shut  me  up,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  If  I  'm  caught,  I  '11 
only  get  a  hundred  dollars  and  costs."  At  last  he  re 
ceived  a  second  invitation,  which  ominously  set  forth 
the  record  of  the  preceding  one  and  what  had  come 
of  it. 

"We  '11  plead  nolo,  pay  the  hundred  dollars  and 
costs,  and  end  it  in  the  police  court,"  said  Woods,  in 
a  private  interview  with  the  county  attorney. 

"  Can't  think  of  it,"  replied  Strickland. 

"Surely  you  don't  mean  to  insist  on  imprison 
ment?" 

"  That 's  just  what  I  shall  insist  on  if  he 's  convicted." 

So  Mr.  Byrd  pleaded  "  Not  guilty,"  and  was  bound 
over  to  the  county  court  close  at  hand. 

His  case  had  been  anxiously  discussed  before  the 
second  complaint  was  made. 

"  The  geyser  formations  at  the  Yellowstone  National 
Park  are  as  delicate  as  they  are  beautiful,"  said  Har- 
nett.  "You  can  destroy  in  a  minute  what  it  would 
take  a  hundred  years  to  replace.  Every  one  who 
enters  the  park  is  presented  with  a  copy  of  the  rules 
for  their  preservation,  on  which  is  conspicuously 
printed, '  These  rules  will  be  enforced.'  The  day  be- 


194  THE  STAND-BY 

fore  I  got  there  a  famous  scientist  threw  a  pebble  into 
a  geyser.  The  guard  arrested  him.  *  I  'm  Professor 
Blank,  sent  here  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior/  said 
the  scientist.  l  My  instructions  would  compel  me  to 
arrest  you  just  the  same  if  you  were  the  President  of 
the  United  States/  replied  the  soldier.  The  soldier  re 
ceived  honorable  mention.  The  scientist  spent  the 
night  in  the  guard-house,  was  tried  by  court  martial 
the  next  morning  and  heavily  fined,  and  we  met  him 
as  he  was  being  dishonorably  conducted  to  the  boun 
daries  of  the  park  by  mounted  men  in  blue.  A  few 
weeks  before  a  Methodist  minister  and  six  ladies  were 
punished  in  the  same  way.  The  United  States  says 
that  those  formations  shall  be  saved,  and  if  the  Presi 
dent  went  there  and  broke  the  law,  he  'd  be  punished 
just  the  same  as  if  he  were  a  cow-boy." 

"  Yet  Byrd  breaks  the  law  all  the  time,  and  thinks 
he  's  too  big  to  be  punished !  "  exclaimed  Craigin. 

"  He  ?s  nothing  but  a  rich  man/'  remarked  Dr.  Brad 
ford.  "He  's  poor  compared  with  Denman,  and  he 
has  n't  any  of  the  qualities  that  give  Denman  power." 

"  Does  n't  he  count  on  a  power  Denman  never  had  1 " 
suggested  Craigin. 

"A  power  Denman  never  had?" 

"Yes.  Take  away  Denman's  millions,  and  he  7d 
still  be  a  giant.  Take  away  Byrd's  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand,  and  he  'd  be  nobody ;  but,  nobody  or  some 
body,  he 's  a  representative  druggist.  The  prosecution 
of  Denman  hit  those  who  bought  and  drank  openly. 
The  prosecution  of  Byrd  will  strike  at  a  more  influen 
tial  class,  those  who  hide  under  a  mortar  and  pestle, 
who  drink,  yet  want  to  pass  as  temperance  men  and 


IN  ITS  MAJESTY  195 

women.  This  is  the  power  behind  Byrd,  the  power 
Denman  wants  against  us." 

"  He  's  been  fined,"  said  Dr.  Bradford,  "  and  so  have 
the  other  druggists.  It  has  n't  stopped  them.  What 
do  you  think  had  best  be  done  ? " 

"  Push  prohibition  to  its  logical  results,"  earnestly 
replied  Craigin.  "Enforce  law  in  all  its  majesty,  as 
it  is  enforced  in  the  Yellowstone  National  Park— on 
the  rich  man's  French  brandy  and  champagne  and 
cordials,  on  the  poor  man's  corn  whisky  and  beer. 
Denman  wants  us  to  try  it,  because  he  thinks  it  '11 
break  us.  It  would  have  broken  us  a  year  ago,  but— 
the  little  books  are  getting  fuller  every  day." 

As  Bradford  remarked,  Byrd  individually  was  noth 
ing  but  a  rich  man,  nothing  more  than  a  druggist 
buying  cheap  and  selling  dear.  No  one  hated,  loved, 
or  feared  him.  The  evidence  against  him  was  over 
whelming.  The  jury  were  not  of  the  class  that  hides 
under  mortar  and  pestle,  and  they  promptly  convicted 
him.  After  the  verdict,  Strickland  briefly  stated  why 
he  asked  for  imprisonment.  Woods  pathetically  urged 
his  client's  social  position,  his  gray  hairs,  his  children 
and  his  grandchildren.  The  judge,  remarking  that  he 
took  the  prisoner's  sixty  years  and  his  otherwise  good 
character  into  account,  gave  him  two  months  in  the 
house  of  correction.  The  church  of  which  he  was  a 
member  excommunicated  him.  It  was  a  terrible  ex 
ample  to  the  Apsleighshire  druggists. 

Byrd  certainly  represented  the  class  Craigin  had 
mentioned,  but  he  also  represented  a  far  larger  and 
more  influential  class,  one  that  included  on  occasion 
nearly  all  the  best  people  in  the  community  j  and  the 


196  THE  STAND-BY 

members  of  the  League  and  others,  especially  the 
prosecuting  attorney  as  the  official  representative  of 
the  law,  constantly  encountered  expostulations  more 
vigorous  than  polite. 

"Mr.  Strickland/7  exclaimed  an  indignant  husband, 
"  we  were  in  trouble  last  night !  The  doctor  said  my 
wife  must  have  stimulants  at  once.  I  had  n't  a  drop 
in  the  house.  I  could  n't  send  to  Boston  and  wait  two 
or  three  days,  could  I  ?  I  could  n't  get  anything  at  a 
drug  store.  I  tried  three,  and  they  told  me  they  were 
sorry  for  me,  but  they  could  n't  take  the  chances  of 
going  to  jail.  I  could  have  got  liquor  from  the  city 
agency  on  a  medical  certificate  stating  the  patient's 
name,  residence,  sex,  age,  and  malady,  to  be  a  matter 
of  public  record  and  exposed  in  a  public  place  forever, 
but  she  declared  she  'd  rather  die  for  want  of  it  than 
have  that  done.  I  could  n't  argue  the  case  with  a  sick 
woman.  I  broke  into  a  neighbor's  house  at  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning  and  begged  him,  for  the  love 
of  God,  to  give  me  a  little  whisky.  I  got  it  all  right ; 
but  I  tell  you,  't  would  be  a  pretty  how-d'-you-do  for 
you,  Mr.  Prosecuting  Attorney,  if  I  had  n't,  and  she  'd 
died  for  want  of  it !  " 

"  Mr.  Strickland,"  said  another,  "  I  don't  know  the 
taste  of  any  kind  of  liquor,  but  my  mother  is  eighty- 
nine  years  old  and  feeble,  and  the  doctor  says  good 
old  sherry  will  help  keep  her  up  and  prolong  her  life. 
She  says  she  won't  have  her  name  posted  with  the 
people  who  are  getting  doctors'  prescriptions  for  all 
sorts  of  imaginary  diseases  and  making  a  farce  of  the 
whole  thing,  like  B.  Gratz  Brown  dangling  from 
Horace  Greeley's  coat  tails.  I  won't  have  my  mother's 


IN  ITS  MAJESTY  197 

name  posted  that  way,  either.  I  hate  to  smuggle  wine 
from  Boston  as  if  I  were  a  criminal,  but  I  have  to.  I 
used  to  think  I  lived  in  a  free  country.  I  've  found 
out  I  don't,  and  I  'd  like  to  move  away  where  I  could 
have  a  mouthful  of  free  air." 

"Well,  Brother  Strickland,"  remarked  Woods, 
"you  're  doing  a  good  turn  for  the  profession,  any 
way.  Of  course  you  know  hundreds  of  men  about 
town  are  carrying  life-insurance  on  their  representa 
tions  that  they  're  sound  as  nuts.  If  a  time  ever  comes 
when  you  're  not  prosecuting  somebody,  you  'd  better 
step  over  to  the  city  liquor  agency  and  examine  the 
choice  assortment  of  diseases  they  've  got  posted  up 
there.  When  the  heirs  try  to  realize  on  these  policies 
there  '11  be  music  for  us  lawyers,  as  sure  as  there  's  a 
God  in  Israel." 

Craigin  heard  all  these  things  and  many  more,  and 
fully  appreciated  them.  He  had  come  to  believe  that 
the  suppression  of  the  liquor  traffic,  the  voluntary  or 
involuntary  total  abstinence  of  the  entire  community, 
would  be  the  greatest  public  blessing  that  could  pos 
sibly  be  conferred,  and  that  it  more  than  justified  all 
the  annoyance,  restraint,  bitterness,  and  suffering  in 
cident  to  its  attainment.  He  never  forgot  his  oath : 
"  I  will  live  and  die  doing  what  I  believe  is  right,  cost 
what  it  will,  so  help  me  God !  "—and  "  cost  what  it 
will"  included  others  as  well  as  himself.  While  he 
shrank  from  no  personal  sacrifice,  he  was  too  good  a 
general  not  to  be  equally  ready  to  sacrifice  others. 
He  was  satisfied  that  to  let  the  drug  stores  become 
select  and  high-class  liquor  stores  would  undermine 
and  ruin  his  cause,  and  he  saw  no  chance  of  suc- 

13* 


198  THE  STAND-BY 

cess  except  in  an  uncompromising  enforcement  of 
law. 

He  had  done  what  Denman  wanted  him  to  do.  He 
had  made  the  issue  stern  and  sharp.  He  had  included 
in  relentless  proscription— except  on  terms  humiliat 
ing  to  all  and  intolerable  to  many— refined  and  sensi 
tive  women,  women  in  delicate  health,  the  aged  and 
the  sick.  In  the  olden  time  the  community  would 
have  risen  en  masse  against  it;  now  it  was  divided. 
The  universally  admitted  sincerity  of  the  man,  his 
well-known  relinquishment  of  the  girl  he  loved  for  the 
cause  he  believed  right,  his  popular  qualities  and  com 
manding  ability,  the  attempt  to  wreck  the  "Tocsin" 
by  violence,  the  midnight  fight,  one  to  six,  the  making 
of  the  county  a  summer  resort,  and  the  coming  of  the 
great  steel-works—all  these  things  gave  him  a  tre 
mendous  personal  influence.  Many  people  thought 
he  had  made  a  fatal  blunder  in  pushing  prohibition  to 
such  extremities,  but  no  one  denied  that  there  were 
still  two  giants  in  Apsleighshire,  each  worthy  of  the 
other's  steel. 


VIII 

HER  ANSWER 

|PSLEIGrH  had  a  distinguished  visitor. 
Servant-girls  hastened  to  finish  washing 
their  dishes  to  get  a  peep  at  him  and  to 
hear  and  tell  how  he  looked,  what  he  wore, 
what  he  had  said,  what  he  had  done,  and  how  he  pro 
gressed  with  his  courtship.  From  maid  to  mistress, 
from  errand  boy  to  merchant,  feminine  and  masculine 
curiosity  were  the  same.  Even  the  venerable  Dr. 
Bradford  forgot  writing  on  his  next  Sunday  sermon 
and  sat  at  his  study  window,  musing  on  the  strange 
inequalities  of  birth  and  fortune  long  after  the  young 
man  rode  by.  For  this  big,  handsome  fellow  of  five 
and  twenty  was  the  elder  son  and  heir  of  a  famous 
statesman,  recently  deceased,  and  in  his  own  right  was 
no  less  a  personage  than  the  Right  Honorable  William 
Percy  Neville  Langdon,  Earl  of  Throckmorton,  Vis 
count  Stadwick,  Baron  Muer,  Baron  Langdon,  with 
some  of  the  finest  estates  and  one  of  the  oldest  and 
most  illustrious  pedigrees  in  the  English  peerage. 

Though  he  registered  at  the  Apsleighshire  House, 
he  dined  quite  as  often  with  the  Denmans.  He 
played  tennis,  rode,  drove,  or  boated  with  Isabel  almost 

199 


200  THE  STAND-BY 

daily,  and  she  was  so  gracious  to  him  that  a  darling 
hope  began  to  revive  in  her  father's  heart. 

"  I  don't  want  to  dictate,  little  girl/7  he  said  one  day, 
drawing  her  upon  his  knees  and  kissing  her.  "  It  7s 
all  in  your  hands.  That  7s  the  American  way  and  the 
right  way.  He  7s  a  fine  fellow,  if  he  is  an  earl,  and 
he  7d  be  a  good  husband  to  you.  You  7d  have  the 
world  at  your  feet,  and  if  you  should  have  a  son,  he 
and  those  who  come  after  him  would  be  almost  princes. 
1 7d  hate  to  have  you  so  far  off,  but,  little  girl,  it  7s— 
it  7s  just  about  killing  me  to  see  you  breaking  your 
heart  this  way  for  my  sake— trying  to  fight  down  your 
love  for  the  other  one.77  He  tightened  his  arms  around 
her,  and,  pressing  her  cheek  to  his,  continued  in  a 
pleading  voice :  "  You  're  my  joy  and  pride  and  life, 
little  girl.  You  know  1 7d  die,  oh,  so  gladly,  to  make 
you  happy.  I  'd  do  anything  in  the  world  for  you, 
except  one.  1 7m  an  old  man— a  great  deal  older  for 
words  you  have  said  to  me,  my  child.  I  7ve  done 
things  that  nothing  but  war  against  me  would  tempt 
me  to  do, — in  war  men  are  driven  to  things  they  loathe, 
—but  I  7ve  never  yet  broken  my  pledged  word.  I 
promised  my  friends,  who  are  true  as  steel  to  me,— 
gave  them  the  word  of  John  Denman,— that  1 7d  win 
this  fight  for  them,  and  I  can7t  go  back  on  that,  even 
for  my  own  little  girl.  Can't  you  be  happy  in  any 
other  way  ?  Can7t  you  put  your  father's  enemy  out  of 
your  heart  ?  Can't  you  learn  to  love  this  fine,  hand 
some,  whole-souled  young  fellow,  this  great  nobleman, 
who  will  make  you  one  of  the  greatest  ladies  in  Europe 
short  of  royalty  itself?'7 

She  twined  an  arm  about  his  neck,  kissed  his  thin 


HER  ANSWER  201 

lips,  and  ran  her  fingers  through  his  grizzled  hair,  as 
had  been  her  wont  from  childhood.  Her  chin  quivered 
and  her  voice  was  full  of  pain. 

"  0  papa,"  she  pleaded,  "  don't  ask  me !  I  will  if  I 
can.  I  have  tried— am  trying  5  oh,  you  don't  know 
how  hard  I  'm  trying !  " 

When  riding  with  the  earl  next  day  she  came  sud 
denly  upon  Craigin.  Their  eyes  met  for  a  single 
instant.  In  that  instant  she  read  two  things,  his  in 
exorable  purpose  and  his  dumb  agony  of  hopeless  love, 
and  every  nerve  and  fiber  of  her  being  thrilled  with 
sharp,  sweet  pain.  "  Tom  said,"  she  repeated  to  her 
self,  "  if  he  thought  a  course  were  right,  he  'd  follow 
it  straight  to  death,  and  never  flinch  a  hair  j  but  he  ;s 
a  thousand  times  braver  and  stronger  than  that,  for 
he  loves  me  a  thousand  times  better  than  his  own  life, 
and  he  does  n't  flinch  a  hair  even  for  love  of  me.  I 
love  him !  I  love  him  !  I  love  him  !  I  can't  help  it— I 
can't !  I  never  can !  And  it 's  killing  us  both." 

Yet  she  passed  him  without  sign  of  recognition,  and 
the  next  moment,  challenging  the  earl  to  a  race,  she 
put  her  high-blooded  Kentucky  stallion  to  his  utmost 
speed,  sweeping  up  the  broad  avenue  like  a  tornado, 
her  habit  fluttering  in  the  breeze  she  made,  with  firm 
lips  and  flashing  eyes,  bearing  herself  like  a  queen 
born  to  the  saddle. 

Again  and  again,  as  a  proposal  was  trembling  on 
the  earl's  lips,  she  evaded  it  and  put  him  off —put  him 
off  till  she  could  do  so  no  longer.  At  last  he  forced  a 
hearing  and  went  straight  to  the  point,  his  voice  quiv 
ering  with  passion,  blunt,  almost  brutal,  in  his  direct 
ness. 


202  THE  STAND-BY 

" Miss  Denman— Isabel,"  he  said,  "you  know  I  love 
you." 

There  was  agony  in  her  face  as  she  looked  up  to 
his. 

"  You  know  I  love  you,"  he  repeated. 

"  Yes,  I  know  it,"  she  replied  in  a  strained  voice. 

"And  I  have  loved  you  all  these  years." 

"I  know  it,"  she  again  replied. 

"  It  was  my  father's  dying  wish,  it  is  my  mother's, 
and  I  have  your  father's  consent.  Don't  you— can't 
you— love  me  ?  Won't  you  be  my  wife  f " 

She  sat  in  silence  $  it  might  have  been  minutes— it 
seemed  eternity  to  both.  At  length  she  arose  and 
stood  before  him.  The  anguish  had  vanished  from 
her  face  in  the  flush  of  her  great  sacrifice.  Her  choice 
was  made. 

"  I  have  had  one  strange,  great  gift  from  childhood," 
she  said,  "  the  gift  of  reading  people  as  you  read  books. 
I  have  seen  your  heart  from  the  beginning,  and  have 
known  that  your  love  for  me  was  strong  and  pure 
and  would  not  die.  If  your  nature  were  selfish,  cruel, 
cowardly,  or  base  in  any  way,  I  would  know  it.  You 
could  not  hide  it  from  me.  It  is  generous,  brave,  and 
loving.  I  know  you  better  than  you  think  possible. 
You  are  more  than  a  nobleman :  you  are  a  noble  man. 
I  am  a  woman,  and  a  woman's  happiness,  her  very  life, 
is  marriage  to  a  true  man.  I  am  but  a  woman,  and 
the  honors  you  wish  to  share  with  me  appeal  to  me 
more  strongly  than  you  think.  And  I  like  you  more 
than  I  ever  liked  any  other  man.  But  that  is  not 
love." 

"  O  Isabel,  then  I  may  wait  and  hope !     It  will  be  ! 


HER  ANSWER  203 

it  must  be !  it  shall  be !  More  than  you  ever  liked  any 
other  man !  That— that  is  all  I  hoped  for,  now." 

She  raised  her  hand  imploringly.  "  You  have  not 
heard  me  through.  Forgive  me  if  I  have  misled  you 
even  for  an  instant.  God  knows  how  I  have  tried  to 
love  you.  When  you  have  been  about  to  speak  I  have 
put  you  off  j  time  and  again  I  have  put  you  off,  think 
ing  that  perhaps  I  might.  If  I  have  let  you  hope  in 
vain,  forgive  me  for  the  pain  I  have  caused  you,  for  I 
have  longed  to  love  you.  It  would  have  been,  it  would 
be  now,  more  than  life;  it  would  be  release  from 
agony." 

"  Release  from  agony  ?    0  Isabel ! " 

"  Yes,  release  from  agony.  If  I  marry  you,  I  must 
pledge  my  word  to  love  you.  My  father  is  a  plain, 
self-made  man,  a  brewer,  but  no  word  of  belted  knight 
was  ever  held  more  sacred  than  his.  John  Denman's 
daughter  cannot  take  your  love,  your  name,  your  title, 
and  give  you  empty  vows." 

"  But,  Isabel,  I  won't  ask  you  to  love  me  as  I  love 
you— not  yet.  I  '11  wait  and  hope." 

"  I  have  not  yet  told  you  all.  I  love  another  man. 
I  have  tried  to  think  I  hated  him  j  I  have  tried  to  hate 
him,  but  love  is  stronger  than  my  will.  The  more  I 
have  tried  to  hate  him,  the  more  I  have  loved  him.  I 
love  him  with  my  whole  heart  and  soul,  with  all  my 
life,  and  he  loves  me,  though  he  has  never  told  me  so 
in  words ;  and  I  can  never  marry  him,  never  speak  to 
him.  He  is  my  father's  enemy." 

With  lifted  head  and  shining  eyes  she  stood  before 
him.  Then  suddenly  she  turned,  and,  dropping  on  a 
sofa,  sobbed  as  if  her  heart  were  broken. 


IX 

THE  CONVENTION 

iNCE  in  six  years  congressional  conventions 
were  held  in  Apsleigh.  It  was  Apsleigh's 
turn.  The  occasion  always  brought  many 
people  into  town,  and  the  intensity  of  the 
struggle  between  Denman  and  Strickland  would  natu 
rally  bring  a  far  greater  number  than  usual ;  but  the 
shrewdest  politicians  in  Denman's  camp  were  amazed 
at  what  they  saw.  The  incoming  trains  were  packed. 
At  stations  for  twenty  miles  around  crowds  were 
waiting  for  means  of  transit.  Extra  trains  were  put 
on.  Every  railway  line,  every  highway,  was  thronged, 
and  all  roads  led  to  Apsleigh.  The  little  city  over 
flowed  with  men.  When  asked  the  cause,  thousands 
gave  the  same  reply :  "We  're  sent  for." 

The  delegates  were  divided  into  three  classes,  about 
equally  numerous:  those  pledged  to  Denman,  those 
pledged  to  Strickland,  those  unpledged  and  doubtful. 
Woods  presented  Denman's  name.  He  made  a  strong 
speech,  but  it  lacked  the  ring  of  confidence.  Every 
Denman  delegate  knew  that  the  incoming  of  thousands 
from  the  country  was  a  bad  omen. 

When  Woods  sat  down,  Strickland  took  the  floor 

204 


THE  CONVENTION  205 

with  a  large  package  of  little  books  under  his  arm. 
A  murmur  ran  through  the  hall.  Was  he  going  to 
the  indecent  length  of  presenting  his  own  name  ?  Or 
was  it  some  new  surprise  ?  He  began  by  saying  that 
he  had  allowed  his  own  name  to  be  used  simply  to  aid 
in  a  conspiracy  to  nominate  Craigin  without  his  know 
ledge  and  in  spite  of  his  refusal  to  be  a  candidate. 
The  wild  and  prolonged  applause  that  greeted  this 
announcement  showed  what  a  master  stroke  of  policy 
it  was  and  carried  consternation  to  Denman's  followers. 
Then  Strickland  sketched  the  man's  career  during  the 
four  years  he  had  lived  in  Apsleigh.  It  was  slow  work, 
for  every  few  sentences  his  voice  was  drowned  with 
cheers,  and,  as  he  dramatically  touched  upon  the  sav 
ing  of  Denman's  life  and  the  midnight  fight,  one  to 
six,  the  cheers  swelled  into  a  deafening  roar.  When 
it  subsided  he  plied  his  hearers  with  prosaic  facts  and 
figures :  the  rise  in  real  estate  shown  by  recent  sales, 
the  increase  in  savings-bank  deposits  and  in  taxable 
property,  the  decrease  in  the  rate  of  taxation,  in  the 
amount  of  unpaid  taxes,  of  worthless  store  accounts 
and  chattel  mortgages. 

"  Our  State  conventions,"  he  continued,  "  have  long 
made  adhesion  to  the  prohibitory  law  a  test  of  party 
loyalty.  Mr.  Denman  has  accumulated  millions  by 
violating  that  law.  He  bolted  the  nomination  of  a 
Republican  candidate  for  mayor  and  defeated  him, 
bolted  my  nomination  and  almost  defeated  me,  solely 
in  the  liquor  interest.  He  has  made  it  impossible  to 
elect  city  governments  and  city  marshals  that  would 
be  true  to  their  oaths  of  office.  Time  and  again  he 
has  refused  the  highest  political  honors  this  State 


206  THE  STAND-BY 

could  give  him;  now  he  prostitutes  his  genius  and 
spends  money  without  stint,  as  it  never  before  was 
spent  in  this  State,  simply  and  solely  to  force  the  coro 
nation  of  a  traffic  that  for  nearly  forty  years  has  been 
legislated  against  as  a  crime.  The  issue  is  squarely 
raised  in  this  district,  and  must  be  met." 

As  the  music  of  a  distant  band  floated  through  the 
open  windows  his  manner  changed  and  became  almost 
majestic.  "I  had  almost  forgotten,"  he  said,  "that 
I  am  not  here  to  plead  for  Craigin's  nomination.  I 
am  here  to  demand  it  as  the  representative  of  irresis 
tible  power.  Six  hundred  and  thirty-two  of  the  tem 
perance  Democrats  of  Apsleighshire  are  pledged  to 
vote  for  me ;  every  man  of  them  and  hundreds  more 
will  vote  for  Craigin.  Where  are  the  two  hundred 
and  ninety-one  third-party  voters  of  this  county  ?  All 
but  Harpswell  and  some  twenty  more  are  back  in  the 
ranks  of  temperance  Republicans.  What  are  these 
little  books  ?  They  are  the  result  of  eighteen  months 
of  secret,  patient,  systematic  work.  They  are  the 
muster-roll  of  an  army.  They  contain  the  names  of 
three  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty-eight  Republi 
cans  of  Apsleighshire  who  are  pledged  to  vote  for  me ; 
and  because  Denman  has  bolted  candidates  for  loyalty 
to  our  party  platforms,  every  man  of  them  is  pledged 
to  scratch  or  paste  his  name.  This  is  what  they  would 
do  for  me  $  but  for  Craigin— it  will  be  personal  devo 
tion  to  a  beloved  chief." 

From  the  distant  Miller  Block  came  the  roar  of 
thousands  of  voices  cheering  themselves  hoarse.  "  Do 
you  hear  that?"  he  continued.  "The  Strickland 
banners  are  called  in.  The  Craigin  banners  are  un- 


THE  CONVENTION  207 

furled.  The  work  that  has  been  done  secretly  in  this 
county  will  be  done  openly  in  other  counties.  Picked 
men  will  visit  every  village,  every  farm-house,  telling 
the  story  of  the  great  fight  for  the  enforcement  of  the 
law,  pledging  votes  for  the  man  who  has  brought  vic 
tory  out  of  defeat  and  has  recreated  Apsleighshire.  If 
the  impossible  should  happen,  if  Denman  should  be 
nominated,  the  same  work  will  be  done  against  him." 

The  wild  cheers,  drawing  nearer  and  nearer,  drowrted 
the  speaker's  voice.  At  last,  watching  an  opportunity 
to  make  himself  heard,  he  shouted,  "  The  knight  has 
held  the  pass !  Look  out  the  windows !  The  king  and 
his  army  have  come !  " 

The  delegates  rushed  to  the  windows.  Down  the 
street,  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  was  a  line  of  men. 
A  band  was  at  the  head  of  the  column,  playing  "  Hail 
to  the  Chief !  "  Next  came  the  clergy  of  Apsleighshire, 
bearing  the  motto,  "  God  and  our  homes.  Every  vote 
for  Craigin.  Not  a  vote  for  Denman."  Then  five 
hundred  business  men  of  Apsleigh,  on  their  banner, 
"  Prohibition  has  filled  our  pockets.  Every  vote  for 
Craigin.  Not  a  vote  for  Denman."  Then  Crawford, 
at  the  head  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  his  work 
men,  their  motto,  "Prohibition  brought  us  to  Aps 
leigh.  Every  vote  for  Craigin.  Not  a  vote  for 
Denman."  Then  smaller  industries,  with  their  mot- 
tos.  Then  the  Apsleigh  Brotherhood,  four  hundred 
strong,  with  a  beautiful  silken  flag,  on  which  was 
embroidered  a  bloody  right  hand,  and  below  it  the 
words  in  great  letters  of  pure  gold,  "  Licked  them,  one 
to  six.  Every  vote  for  Craigin.  Not  a  vote  for  Den 
man."  Of  all  the  banners,  no  other  was  cheered  like 


208  THE  STAND-BY 

this— cheered  till  it  seemed  as  if  the  little  city  rocked 
with  the  sound ;  for  nothing  else  had  made  Craigin  so 
many  friends,  and  cost  Denman  so  many,  as  that  grim 
midnight  fight.  Last  of  all  came  the  farmers  from 
every  hill  and  valley  of  Apsleighshire,  town  by  town, 
in  long  array.  Their  mottos  showed  how  Mammon 
had  won  them.  There  they  were,  near  two  thousand 
strong,  every  vote  for  Craigin,  not  a  vote  for  Denman. 
The  secrecy  and  long  repression  were  over.  The  sub 
stitution  of  their  beloved  leader's  name  set  his  follow 
ers  wild  with  enthusiasm.  The  clamor  of  the  band 
was  unheard  amid  the  singing  and  the  shouting  of  that 
long  array  of  men.  The  king  and  his  army  had  come. 
There  was  no  enemy  that  could  stand  before  them. 

"Woods,"  exclaimed  one  of  the  Denman  leaders,  when 
at  length  a  semblance  of  order  was  restored  in  the  con 
vention,  "  Woods,  you  must  withdraw  our  candidate." 

"No,  I  won't,"  snarled  Woods.  "I  'd  rather  face 
wolves  than  face  John  Denman  if  I  did." 

"  But  you  must.  You  can't  stand  out  in  the  face 
of  all  this." 

"What  does  he  care  for  this  compared  to  hauling 
down  his  colors  ? " 

"  Then  let  him  sink  alone !  He  can't  take  the  party 
with  him.  Mr.  Chairman,"  cried  the  delegate,  stand 
ing  on  a  chair  and  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 
"  Mr.  Chairman,  as  one  of  the  original  Denman  men, 
I  move  that  William  Henry  Craigin  be  nominated  by 
acclamation." 

The  motion  carried.  Five  minutes  later  cannon 
thundered  from  a  neighboring  hill  and  church  bells 
rang  forth  their  merriest  peals. 


"O  DEATH,  WHERE  IS  THY  VICTORY?" 

&ENMAN  sat  in  the  home  office  which  he 
called  his  library.  In  all  but  years  he  had 
grown  very  old.  Though  he  had  aged 
rapidly  for  months,  he  was  older  by  a  dec 
ade  than  when  he  had  left  the  house  that  morning.  He 
had  come  home  at  noon,  confused,  apathetic.  Isabel 
sat  on  a  low  stool  beside  him,  with  her  head  on  his 
knee  and  holding  his  hand,  as  she  had  used  to  do  when 
she  was  a  little  child.  She  did  not  speak,  but  often 
kissed  his  long,  thin  fingers  and  looked  up  into  his 
face. 

At  length,  although  the  Denman  mansion  was  dis 
tant  from  the  business  portion  of  the  town,  the  music 
of  a  band  and  the  shouting  of  men  became  distinctly 
audible.  Then  came  the  ringing  of  bells  and  the 
booming  of  cannon.  Denman  seemed  not  to  hear. 
He  sat  in  a  stupor,  with  his  head  on  his  hand.  A 
sharp  ring  at  the  telephone  aroused  him.  In  going 
to  the  instrument,  only  a  few  steps  away,  he  staggered 
like  a  drunken  man. 

"  The  worst  has  happened/'  said  the  voice.    "  Craigin 
has  been  nominated  by  acclamation." 
u  209 


210  THE  STAND-BY 

There  was  a  heavy  fall.  Denman  was  stricken  with 
apoplexy. 

After  several  hours  consciousness  returned.  His 
right  side  was  paralyzed  j  his  face  was  drawn ;  his  left 
eye  remained  open  and  immovable.  His  mind  was 
clear.  He  could  talk  but  little  and  with  great  difficulty. 

"  Doctor/7  he  said,  "  tell  me  the  truth :  shall  I  live 
or  die  ? " 

"  I  think  it  7s  possible  you  may  live  for  months." 

"As  I  am?" 

"  I  'm  afraid  so." 

"  So  bad  as  that  ? "  he  said.  "  I  hoped  it  would  be 
death." 

"  It  may  be,  Mr.  Denman.  You  will  have  another 
shock.  It  may  not  come  for  weeks  or  months.  It 
may  come  any  time." 

"  May  come  any  time  ?  n 

Death,  even  the  living  death  of  a  paralytic,  was 
nothing  to  Denman  compared  with  the  bitterness  of 
defeat.  He  longed  to  die,  for  his  pledge  was  unful 
filled  and  his  power  to  keep  it  was  broken  j  but  he  had 
one  ruling  passion  left  to  gratify— his  love  for  Isabel. 

A  distinguished  specialist,  summoned  by  telegraph, 
was  ushered  in. 

"  Doctor,"  said  Denman,  "  for  God's  sake,  tell  me  the 
truth :  how  soon  is  the  next  stroke  coming  ? " 

As  the  great  specialist  looked  at  the  sick  man  he 
saw  at  a  glance  what  the  other  had  failed  to  note,  and 
promptly  answered,  "  It 's  on  you  now.  If  you  have 
anything  to  say,  say  it  instantly.  Your  time  is  mea 
sured  by  seconds." 

A  flash  of  the  old  unconquerable  will  lighted  the 


"O  DEATH,  WHERE  IS  THY  VICTORY?"        211 

stricken  man's  face.  "Tell  Dick,"  he  said,  "he  shall 
have  ten  thousand  dollars  if  he  gets  Craigin  here  while 
I  can  speak." 

Seconds  passed,  and  a  carriage  and  pair  standing  at 
the  door  tore  down  the  long  avenue  with  the  speed 
of  the  wind.  Seconds  lengthened  into  minutes.  In 
the  halls  and  other  rooms  of  the  great  house  faithful 
servants  grieved  for  a  master  who  had  been  always 
generous,  always  kind.  In  a  corner  of  her  hus 
band's  bedroom  Mrs.  Denman  hysterically  sobbed  and 
shrieked  unheeded.  Isabel  knelt  beside  her  father, 
uttering  no  sound,  pressing  his  unparalyzed  hand  to 
her  lips,  gazing  into  his  face  with  great,  dry,  anguish- 
stricken  eyes.  The  two  physicians— there  was  naught 
else  they  could  do— stood  at  the  bedside  and  saw  a 
strange,  an  awful,  an  heroic  thing. 

Convulsively  gripping  his  daughter's  hand,  the  dying 
man  set  his  teeth  and  fixed  his  unparalyzed  eye  on  the 
great  clock  by  the  wall.  Tick,  tick,  tick— slowly  and 
solemnly  the  second-hand  went  round  j  tick,  tick,  tick, 
and  the  long  minute-hand  moved— moved  as  if  it  were 
measuring  the  ages  of  eternity.  Tick,  tick,  tick— sixty 
seconds  like  hours,  and  again  it  moved.  Once,  twice, 
thrice,  five,  ten,  fifteen,  twenty— twenty  times  it  moved. 
Twenty  awful  minutes,  and  still  the  teeth  were  set,  the 
eye  was  fixed  and  undimmed,  and  the  grim  fight  for 
another  inch  of  life  went  on.  "  It 's  almost  a  miracle," 
whispered  the  specialist  to  his  medical  brother.  "  The 
stroke  was  falling  as  I  entered.  The  man  is  holding 
death  back  by  the  sheer  power  of  his  will." 

Cragin  had  been  kept  from  the  convention  on  the 


212  THE  STAND-BY 

pretext  that  his  presence  would  make  it  more  difficult 
to  prevent  a  stampede  from  Strickland  to  himself. 
His  name  mingled  with  cheers  and  borne  on  banners 
was  his  first  intimation  of  the  conspiracy  to  nominate 
him.  The  procession  marched  by,  singing  and  shout 
ing.  It  came  back  and  gathered  in  a  dense  mass  be 
fore  his  office.  Strickland,  Harnett,  and  others  rushed 
in.  "  You  're  nominated,"  they  exclaimed,  "  and  must 
make  a  speech !  " 

He  was  dazed,  and  knew  not  what  to  say.  They  led 
him  to  a  little  balcony  in  front  of  his  office  windows. 
He  was  greeted  with  a  mighty  shout.  Then  all  was 
still.  He  stood  speechless,  vainly  trying  to  collect 
himself.  Some  one  entered  the  balcony  and  said, 
"John  Denman  is  dying."  The  crowd  below,  won 
dering  at  the  delay,  broke  forth  in  renewed  cheers. 
Craigin  tried  to  tell  them,  and  his  voice  failed  him. 

"  Fellow-citizens,"  said  Harnett,  coming  to  the  rescue, 
"  we  have  just  received  sad  news.  It  is  reported  that 
Mr.  Denman  is  dying." 

There  was  no  more  thought  of  speeches ;  there  were 
no  more  cheers.  All  at  once,  as  never  before,— not 
even  in  the  days  of  his  unquestioned  power, — men 
realized  Denman's  greatness  of  soul,  his  fidelity  to  his 
friends,  his  dauntless  courage,  his  ever-abounding  gen 
erosity,  his  acts  of  thoughtful  kindness,  his  cheerful 
words,  his  genial  smile,  the  cordial,  honest  grasp  of  his 
hand.  Of  the  thousands  who  had  banded  together  to 
break  his  power,  hundreds  had  shared  his  bounty  and 
all  had  felt  its  influence.  The  very  churches  whose 
bells  had  joyously  pealed  over  his  defeat  had  received 
largely  of  his  gifts.  In  all  ways,  save  one,  he  had  been 


"O  DEATH,  WHERE  IS  THY  VICTORY?"        213 

so  great  a  public  benefactor,  so  wise  and  strong  and 
good,  overshadowing  all  about  him  less  by  his  millions 
than  by  his  greatness  and  his  graciousness,  it  seemed  as 
if  he  could  not  die.  Men  spoke  through  tears,  almost 
in  whispers.  An  awful  silence  reigned  in  Apsleigh. 

Craigin  found  himself  seated  in  his  office  chair, 
scarcely  knowing  how  he  got  there.  Friends  were 
around  him,  but  when  they  spoke  to  him  he  answered 
in  monosyllables  and  absently.  They  understood  and 
silently  withdrew.  The  past  came  up  before  him. 
Again  he  seemed  to  feel  Tom  Andrews's  arms  around 
his  neck  and  hear  him  saying:  "The  more  chance 
there  is  of  struggle  and  sacrifice  for  an  ideal,  the  more 
you  '11  persuade  yourself  it  7s  your  duty."  "We  've 
been  like  brothers  for  seven  years,  chum,  and  I  love 
you  better  than  any  one  else  in  the  world  except  my 
mother,  and  next  to  you  I  love  Uncle  John.  As  sure 
as  you  go,  chum,  there  '11  misery  come  of  it."  "  I  know 
it  is  n't  a  bit  of  use,  but  I  can't  help  saying,  don't  go  ! " 
Again  he  seemed  to  hear  Denman  say :  "  There  are 
horses  and  dogs  and  guns  and  boats  and  fishing-tackle 
at  your  service.  There  7s  always  a  spare  knife  and 
fork  at  our  table ;  drop  in  as  often  as  you  can— break 
fast,  lunch,  or  dinner.  "We  all  play  whist.  We  want 
you  to  come  and  go  just  as  Tom  would  if  he  were 
living  here."  Again  he  seemed  to  go  and  come,  less 
as  a  welcome  guest  than  as  a  member  of  the  family. 
The  agonizing  struggles  in  his  own  soul  came  back  to 
him— love  pulling  at  his  heartstrings,  the  blind  grop 
ing  in  anguish  of  spirit  to  know  what  duty  was,  and 
the  solemn  oath,  "I  '11  live  and  die  doing  what  I 
believe  is  right,  cost  what  it  will,  so  help  me  God ! n 

15 


214  THE  STAND-BY 

He  had  kept  his  oath  j  he  had  done  what  he  believed 
was  right ;  but  was  it  right  ? 

In  his  first  awful  struggle  with  himself  he  thought 
he  heard  a  still,  small  voice  saying,  "Yes."  In  his 
agony  and  doubt  and  darkness  he  took  it  for  the  voice 
of  God.  "  The  more  chance  there  is  of  struggle  and 
sacrifice  for  an  ideal/7  said  Tom,  "the  more  you  11 
persuade  yourself  it  's  your  duty."  Had  he  persuaded 
himself  ?  Was  that  still,  small  voice  from  heaven  the 
imagination  of  a  racked  and  tortured  soul  ?  Now  he 
seemed  to  hear  the  same  voice,  stern  and  relentless,  in 
thunder  tones  demanding,  "Was  it  right?" 

He  saw  Apsleigh  as  it  was  when  first  he  came— 
easy-going,  gay,  social,  full  of  kindliness.  Again  he 
saw  Apsleigh  and  Apsleighshire,  divided  into  trained, 
disciplined,  and  hostile  camps,  full  of  hate,  every  man's 
hand  against  his  neighbor,  every  man  watching  his 
neighbor's  acts  and  writing  down  his  neighbor's  words ; 
total  abstinence  from  intoxicating  drink  (the  one  su 
preme  private  virtue)  and  compelling  all  others  to 
abstain  (the  supreme  public  virtue),  twin-sister  vir 
tues,  linked  hand  in  hand.  And  then  he  heard,  as  it 
seemed  to  him,  a  voice  from  the  dead,  saying :  "  Higher 
than  any  finite  court  or  law  or  constitution  is  the  pri 
mary,  eternal,  and  inalienable  right  of  man  to  eat  and 
drink  in  moderation,  with  decent  regard  for  the  rights 
and  feelings  of  others.  A  prohibitory  law  is  such  an 
outrageous  and  intolerable  meddling  with  personal  lib 
erty  that  anything  necessary  to  resist  it  is  justifiable ; 
and  I  want  to  tell  you  fair  and  plain  that  if  this  thing 
goes  on,  I  sha'n't  shrink  from  necessary  war  measures." 

The  burden  and  intense  strain  of  the  long  contest 


"O  DEATH,  WHERE  IS  THY  VICTORY?"        215 

would  have  broken  a  weaker  man,  and,  exhausted  as 
he  was,  the  terrible  shock  had  unnerved  him.  He 
could  not  reason ;  he  could  only  feel.  Many  hours 
wore  away,  night  came,  and  still  he  sat  alone  in  his 
misery,  his  elbows  on  his  knees,  his  face  buried  in  his 
hands,  the  voice  thundering  in  his  ears, "  Was  it  right  ? " 
Visions  of  horror  came  to  him.  Again  he  saw  the 
yawning  gulf,  the  armies  closing  in  battle,  the  shining 
one  upon  the  farther  side.  All  tenderness  and  re 
proach  had  gone  from  her  eyes.  They  gleamed  on 
him  from  an  infinite  distance,  hard  and  cold  and  piti 
less,  like  stars  on  a  midwinter  night.  The  vision 
changed.  He  saw  a  spacious  chamber,  a  grandfather's 
clock  by  the  wall,  a  great,  four-posted  bed,  a  dead  man 
lying  on  it,  a  beautiful  girl  kneeling  beside  him,  her 
arms  around  him,  kissing  his  cold  lips,  bathing  his 
white  face  with  her  tears,  sobbing  her  life  away.  He 
had  no  thought,  no  hope  for  himself,  but  his  whole 
heart  went  out  to  her  in  her  agony  of  grief,  and  as  he 
tried  to  speak  she  sprang  to  her  feet  and  shrieked, 
"  You  killed  him !  You  killed  him  !  "  As  he  shrank 
back,  appalled  and  conscience-stricken,  beside  her  rose 
a  terrible,  great  mountain,  clothed  round  about  with 
smoke  and  flame  and  lightnings,  and  from  their  midst 
he  heard  an  awful  voice,  like  the  voice  of  God  from 
Sinai,  inexorably  demanding,  "  Was  it  right?" 

The  sound  of  horses  coming  down  the  street  at 
breakneck  speed  aroused  him.  A  carriage  dashed  up 
to  the  door.  A  coatless,  hatless  man  rushed  in,  stum 
bling  in  the  darkness. 

"  Quick !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  quick !  John  Denman  ;s 
dying !  He  wants  yer !  " 


216  THE  STAND-BY 

Instantly  Craigin  was  in  the  carriage  and  was 
whirled  away.  The  moment  it  stopped  he  was  out 
and  up  the  steps,  three  at  a  bound. 

"  Craigin/7  said  Denman,  at  once,  "  we  ;ve  both  done 
wrong.  I  want  to  be  your  friend— more  than  your 
friend.  Isabel,  Craigin,  I  shall  die  happy— happy  if 
you  promise  me  that  nothing  of  all  this  shall  stand 
between  you  two." 

Dropping  on  his  knees  beside  the  dying  man,  Craigin 
clasped  his  hand  and  Isabel's,  and  said,  "  I  promise." 

"  I  promise  too,"  said  Isabel. 

The  poor  drawn  face  lighted  up  with  the  old  loving 
smile,  a  smile  so  full  of  love  and  joy  and  peace,  it 
seemed  as  if  heaven  were  shining  there. 

"Isabel,  little  gir— " 

While  the  pet  name  was  on  his  lips  the  angel  of 
death  smote  him,  and  his  brave  spirit  passed  from 
earth. 


APPENDIX 


15* 


APPENDIX 


"  BLESSED  are  the  peacemakers :  for  they  shall  be  called  the 
children  of  God." — Jesus,  Matt.  v.  9. 

"  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  send  peace  on  earth :  I  came 
not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword.  For  I  am  come  to  set  a  man  at 
variance  against  his  father,  and  the  daughter  against  her  mother, 
and  the  daughter-in-law  against  her  mother-in-law.  And  a  man's 
foes  shall  be  they  of  his  own  household." — Jesus,  Matt.  x.  34-36. 

"Be  not  among  winebibbers ;  among  riotous  eaters  of  flesh : 
for  the  drunkard  and  the  glutton  shall  come  to  poverty :  and 
drowsiness  shall  clothe  a  man  with  rags." — Solomon,  Prov.  xxiii. 
20,  21. 

"  The  Son  of  man  came  eating  and  drinking,  and  they  say, 
Behold  a  man  gluttonous,  and  a  winebibber,  a  friend  of  publi 
cans  and  sinners.  But  wisdom  is  justified  of  her  children."— 
Jesus,  Matt.  xi.  19. 

"Who  hath  woe?  who  hath  sorrow?  who  hath  contentions? 
who  hath  babbling?  who  hath  wounds  without  cause?  who  hath 
redness  of  eyes  ?  They  that  tarry  long  at  the  wine ;  they  that  go 
to  seek  mixed  wine.  Look  not  thou  upon  the  wine  when  it  is 
red,  when  it  giveth  his  color  in  the  cup,  when  it  moveth  itself 
aright.  At  the  last  it  biteth  like  a  serpent,  and  stingeth  like  an 
adder."— Solomon,  Prov.  xxiii.  29-32. 

"And  the  third  day  there  was  a  marriage  in  Cana  of  Galilee ; 
and  the  mother  of  Jesus  was  there :  and  both  Jesus  was  called, 
and  his  disciples,  to  the  marriage.  And  when  they  wanted  wine, 
the  mother  of  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  They  have  no  wine.  Jesus 

219 


220  APPENDIX 

saith  unto  her,  Woman,  what  have  I  to  do  with  thee?  mine  horn- 
is  not  yet  come.  His  mother  saith  unto  the  servants,  Whatso 
ever  he  saith  unto  you,  do  it.  And  there  were  set  there  six  water- 
pots  of  stone,  after  the  manner  of  the  purifying  of  the  Jews,  con 
taining  two  or  three  firkins  apiece.  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Fill 
the  water-pots  with  water.  And  they  filled  them  up  to  the  brim. 
And  he  saith  unto  them,  Draw  out  now,  and  bear  unto  the  gover 
nor  of  the  feast.  And  they  bare  it.  When  the  ruler  of  the  feast 
had  tasted  the  water  that  was  made  wine,  and  knew  not  whence  it 
was,  (but  the  servants  which  drew  the  water  knew, )  the  governor 
of  the  feast  called  the  bridegroom,  and  saith  unto  him,  Every  man 
at  the  beginning  doth  set  forth  good  wine ;  and  when  men  have 
well  drunk,  then  that  which  is  worse :  but  thou  hast  kept  the 
good  wine  until  now.  This  beginning  of  miracles  did  Jesus  in 
Cana  of  Galilee,  and  manifested  forth  his  glory ;  and  his  disciples 
believed  on  him."— John  ii.  1-11. 

"  Wine  is  a  mocker,  strong  drink  is  raging :  and  whosoever  is 
deceived  thereby  is  not  wise." — Solomon,  Prov.  xx.  1. 

"  Drink  no  longer  water,  but  use  a  little  wine  for  thy  stomach's 
sake  and  thine  often  infirmities."— St.  Paul,  1  Tim.  v.  23. 

"  Woe  unto  him  that  giveth  his  neighbor  drink,  that  puttest 
thy  bottle  to  him,  and  makest  him  drunken  also,  that  thou  may- 
est  look  on  their  nakedness  ! " — Hab.  ii.  15. 

"  He  watereth  the  hills  from  his  chambers :  the  earth  is  satis 
fied  with  the  fruit  of  thy  works.  He  causeth  the  grass  to  grow 
for  the  cattle,  and  herb  for  the  service  of  man :  that  he  may 
bring  forth  food  out  of  the  earth ;  and  wine  that  maketh  glad  the 
heart  of  man,  and  oil  to  make  his  face  to  shine,  and  bread  which 
strengtheneth  man's  heart." — David,  Ps.  civ.  13-15. 

"Now  if  it  be  true  that  a  vast  proportion  of  the  crimes  which 
government  is  instituted  to  prevent  and  repress  have  their  origin 
in  the  use  of  ardent  spirits ;  if  our  poorhouses,  workhouses,  jails, 
and  penitentiaries  are  tenanted  in  a  great  degree  by  those  whose 
first  and  chief  impulse  to  crime  came  from  the  distillery  and  the 
dram-shop ;  if  murder  and  theft,  the  most  fearful  outrages  on 
property  and  life,  are  most  frequently  the  issues  and  consumma- 


APPENDIX  221 

tion  of  intemperance,  —is  not  government  bound  to  restrain  by 
legislation  the  vending  of  the  stimulus  to  these  terrible  social 
wrongs  ?  Is  government  never  to  act  as  a  parent,  never  to  re 
move  the  causes  or  occasions  of  wrong-doing?  Has  it  but  one 
instrument  for  repressing  crime,  namely,  public,  infamous  pun 
ishment,  an  evil  only  inferior  to  crime?  Is  government  a 
usurper?  Does  it  wander  beyond  its  sphere  by  imposing  re 
straints  on  an  article  which  does  no  imaginable  good ;  which  can 
plead  no  benefit  conferred  on  body  or  mind ;  which  unfits  the 
citizen  for  the  discharge  of  his  duty  to  his  country ;  and  which, 
above  all,  stirs  up  men  to  the  perpetration  of  most  of  the 
crimes  from  which  it  is  the  highest  and  most  solemn  office  of 
government  to  protect  society?"— Channing,  Works,  vol.  ii., 
p.  377. 

"  The  object  of  this  essay  is  to  assert  one  very  simple  prin 
ciple,  as  entitled  to  govern  absolutely  the  dealings  of  society 
with  the  individual  in  the  way  of  compulsion  and  control, 
whether  the  means  used  be  physical  force  in  the  form  of  legal 
penalties,  or  the  moral  coercion  of  public  opinion.  That  prin 
ciple  is  that  the  sole  end  for  which  mankind  are  warranted,  in 
dividually  or  collectively,  in  interfering  with  the  liberty  of  action 
of  any  of  their  number,  is  self -protection ;  that  the  only  pur 
pose  for  which  power  can  be  rightfully  exercised  over  a  member 
of  a  civilized  community,  against  his  will,  is  to  prevent  harm  to 
others.  His  own  good,  either  physical  or  moral,  is  not  sufficient 
warrant.  He  cannot  rightfully  be  compelled  to  do  or  forbear  be 
cause  it  will  be  better  for  him  to  do  so,  because  it  will  make  him 
happier,  because,  in  the  opinions  of  others,  to  do  so  would  be 
wise  or  even  right.  .  .  .  Without  dwelling  upon  supposititious 
cases,  there  are  in  our  own  day  gross  usurpations  upon  the 
liberty  of  private  life  actually  practised,  and  still  greater  ones 
threatened,  with  some  expectation  of  success,  and  opinions  pro 
posed  which  assert  an  unlimited  right  in  the  public  not  only  to 
prohibit  by  law  everything  which  it  thinks  wrong,  but,  in  order 
to  get  at  what  it  thinks  wrong,  to  prohibit  any  number  of  things 
which  it  admits  to  be  innocent.  Under  the  name  of  preventing 
intemperance,  the  people  of  one  English  colony  and  of  nearly 
half  the  United  States  have  been  interdicted  by  law  from  mak- 


222  APPENDIX 

ing  any  use  whatever  of  fermented  drinks,  except  for  medical 
purposes ;  for  prohibition  of  their  sale  is  in  fact,  as  it  is  intended 
to  be,  prohibition  of  their  use.  And  though  the  impracticability 
of  executing  the  law  has  caused  its  repeal  in  several  of  the 
States  which  had  adopted  it,  ...  an  attempt  has  been  com 
menced,  and  is  prosecuted  with  considerable  zeal  by  many  of  the 
professed  philanthropists,  to  agitate  for  a  similar  law  in  this 
country.  The  association,  or  'Alliance,'  as  it  terms  itself, 
which  has  been  formed  for  this  purpose,  has  acquired  some 
notoriety  through  the  publicity  given  to  a  correspondence  be 
tween  its  secretary  and  one  of  the  very  few  English  public  men 
who  hold  that  a  politician's  opinions  ought  to  be  founded  on 
principles.  .  .  .  The  [secretary]  of  the  Alliance,  .  .  .  how 
ever,  says :  '  I  claim  as  a  citizen  a  right  to  legislate  whenever 
my  social  rights  are  invaded  by  the  social  act  of  another.' 
And  now  for  the  definition  of  these  '  social  rights.'  '  If  anything 
invades  my  social  rights,  certainly  the  traffic  in  strong  drink 
does.  It  destroys  my  primary  right  of  security  by  constantly 
creating  and  stimulating  social  disorder.  It  invades  my  right 
of  equality  by  deriving  a  profit  from  the  creation  of  a  misery  I 
am  taxed  to  support.  It  impedes  my  right  to  free  moral  and  in 
tellectual  development  by  surrounding  my  path  with  dangers, 
and  by  weakening  and  demoralizing  society,  from  which  I  have  a 
right  to  claim  mutual  aid  and  intercourse.'  A  theory  of  '  social 
rights '  the  like  of  which  probably  never  before  found  its  way 
into  distinct  language,  being  nothing  short  of  this  :  that  it  is  the 
absolute  social  right  of  every  individual  that  every  other  in 
dividual  shall  act  in  every  respect  exactly  as  he  ought;  that 
whosoever  fails  thereof  in  the  smallest  particular  violates  my 
social  right  and  entitles  me  to  demand  from  the  legislature  the 
removal  of  the  grievance.  So  monstrous  a  principle  is  far  more 
dangerous  than  any  single  interference  with  liberty;  there  is  no 
violation  of  liberty  which  it  would  not  justify ;  it  acknowledges 
no  right  to  any  freedom  whatever,  except  perhaps  to  that  of 
holding  opinions  in  secret  without  ever  disclosing  them ;  for  the 
moment  an  opinion  which  I  consider  noxious  passes  any  one's 
lips  it  invades  all  the  'social  rights'  attributed  to  me  by  the 
Alliance.  The  doctrine  ascribes  to  all  mankind  a  vested  inter- 


APPENDIX  223 

est  in  each  other's  moral,  intellectual,  and  even  physical  per 
fection,  to  be  denned  by  each  claimant  according  to  his  own 
standard."— John  Stuart  Mill,  "Essay  on  Liberty." 

"  Virtue  must  come  from  within ;  to  this  problem  religion  and 
morality  must  direct  themselves.  But  vice  may  come  from  with 
out;  to  hinder  this  is  the  care  of  the  statesman."— Professor 
F.  W.  Newman. 

"It  is  mere  mockery  to  ask  us  to  put  down  drunkenness  by 
moral  and  religious  means."— Cardinal  Manning. 

"  The  principle  of  prohibition  seems  to  me  to  be  the  only  safe 
and  certain  remedy  for  the  evils  of  intemperance.  This  opinion 
has  been  strengthened  and  confirmed  by  the  hard  labor  of  more 
than  twenty  years  in  the  temperance  cause." — Father  Mathew. 

"Liberty  is  a  means  and  not  an  end."— Dr.  Arnold. 

"  Wholesome  laws  preserve  us  free 
By  stinting  of  our  liberty." 

"  No  man  oppresses  thee  ;  .  .  .  but  does  not  this  stupid  pew 
ter  pot  oppress  thee?"— Thomas  Carlyle. 

"  Between  the  one  extreme  of  entire  non-interference,  and  the 
other  extreme  in  which  every  citizen  is  to  be  transformed  into  a 
grown-up  baby  with  bib  and  pap-spoon,  there  lie  innumerable 
stopping-places ;  and  he  who  would  have  the  state  do  more  than 
protect  is  required  to  say  where  he  means  to  draw  the  line,  and 
to  give  us  substantial  reasons  why  it  must  be  just  there  and 
nowhere  else."— Herbert  Spencer,  "  Social  Statics,"  p.  316. 

"  The  [Maine]  law  of  itself,  under  a  vigorous  enforcement  of 
its  provisions,  has  created  a  temperance  sentiment  which  is  mar 
velous  and  to  which  opposition  is  powerless.  In  my  opinion, 
our  remarkable  temperance  reform  of  to-day  is  the  legitimate 
child  of  the  law."— Senator  William  P.  Frye. 

"I  have  the  honor  unhesitatingly  to  concur." — Senator  Lot 
M.  Morrill. 

"  I  concur  in  the  foregoing  statements ;  and  on  the  point  of  the 


224  APPENDIX 

relative  amount  of  liquors  sold  at  present  in  Maine  and  in  those 
States  where  a  system  of  license  prevails,  I  am  very  sure,  from 
personal  knowledge  and  observation,  that  the  sales  are  im 
measurably  less  in  Maine." — James  G.  Blaine. 

"  Men  who  have  not  the  strength  of  mind  to  act  thus  [to  con 
trol  their  appetites]  will  not  be  made  more  self-reliant  or  more 
fit  to  wrestle  with  the  many  temptations  of  the  world  by  being 
put  into  leading-strings  and  kept  out  of  the  sight  of  beer."— 
Wordsworth  Donisthorpe,  "  Individualism :  A  System  of  Poli 
tics,"  p.  79. 

"There  it  stands,  a  shield  to  all  the  youth  of  the  county 
against  the  temptation  to  form  drinking  habits.  Under  its  be 
nign  influence  the  number  of  tipplers  is  steadily  decreasing,  and 
fewer  young  men  begin  to  drink  than  when  licensed  houses  gave 
respectability  to  the  habit.  .  .  .  It  is  as  readily  enforced  as  are 
the  laws  against  gambling,  licentiousness,  and  others  of  similar 
character.  Its  effect  as  regards  crime  is  marked  and  conspicu 
ous.  Our  jail  is  without  inmates,  except  the  sheriff,  for  more 
than  half  the  time." — John  S.  Mann. 

"The  dangers  in  the  road  of  social  reconstruction  under  gov 
ernment  control  are  so  grave  that  they  can  scarcely  be  exag 
gerated,  dangers  arising  not  only  from  the  serious  chance  of 
inefficiency  in  the  methods  chosen,  but  from  the  transfer  of 
responsibilities  by  the  establishment  of  national  law  in  the 
place  of  individual  duty ;  from  the  withdrawal  of  confidence  in 
the  qualities  of  men  in  order  to  bestow  it  on  the  merits  of  ad 
ministrations  ;  from  the  growing  tendency  to  invoke  the  aid  of 
the  state,  and  the  declining  belief  in  individual  power."— 
G.  J.  Goschen. 

"  The  effect  of  prohibitory  laws  is  strikingly  shown  by  the 
comparatively  vacant  apartments  in  the  jails  of  counties  where 
the  local-option  law  is  in  force."— Commissioners  of  Public 
Charities  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 

"I  fail  to  see  that  decentralization  can  be  an  antidote  to 
democratic  despotism.  .  .  .  Local  despotism  is  the  worst  despo 
tism.  Decentralization  cannot  go  further  than  the  family,  and 


APPENDIX  225 

what  kind  of  local  government  is  more  loathsome  than  the  un 
checked  rule  of  a  brutal  paterfamilias?  Local  option  in  regard 
to  liquor  and  to  other  matters  is  part  and  parcel  of  a  system  of 
decentralization  which,  for  the  trampling  under  foot  of  private 
liberty  and  the  crushing  out  of  individuality,  has  no  equal  among 
modern  forms  of  government." — Donisthorpe,  "Individualism," 
p.  88. 

"  What  has  become  of  this  mass  of  corruption  and  disgusting 
vice?  .  .  .  The  Maine  Law  has  swept  it  away  forever." — Davis, 
"Maine  Law  Vindicated." 

"  The  good  old  saying  that  you  cannot  make  people  moral  by 
act  of  Parliament  has  been  and  still  is  disregarded,  but  not  with 
impunity.  Surely  the  state,  which  has  conspicuously  failed  in 
every  single  department  of  moralization  by  force,  may  be  wisely 
asked  in  future  to  mind  its  own  business."— Donisthorpe,  "  Essay 
on  the  Limits  of  Liberty." 

"  A  law,  even  when  public  sentiment  is  not  exactly  ready  for 
it,  if  its  intention  is  supported  by  the  public  conscience,  if  its 
operation  naturally  leads  to  better  order,  to  greater  happiness 
and  lower  taxation,  has  a  certain  victory.  Unquestionably  the 
Maine  Law  had  it." — George  William  Curtis. 

"The  ultimate  issue  of  the  struggle  is  certain.  If  any  one 
doubts  the  general  preponderance  of  good  over  evil  in  human 
nature,  he  has  only  to  study  the  history  of  moral  crusades.  The 
enthusiastic  energy  and  self-devotion  with  which  a  great  moral 
cause  inspires  its  soldiers  always  have  prevailed,  and  always 
will  prevail,  over  any  amount  of  self-interest  or  material  power 
arrayed  on  the  other  side." — Goldwin  Smith. 

"  The  scale  on  which  intoxicating  drinks  are  used  is  enormous ; 
the  revenues  derived  by  governments  from  this  source  are  of  the 
greatest  importance  ;  the  persons  concerned  in  vending  them  as 
their  entire  business,  or  a  part  of  it,  are  more  numerous  in  cities 
than  those  who  pursue  any  other  trade ;  many  employments 
could  not  succeed  without  adding  this  sale  to  their  other  busi 
ness  ;  and  the  most  contrary  opinions  have  currency  in  respect 
to  dealing  with  this  vast  evil  of  the  United  States  and  of  other 


226  APPENDIX 

Northern  nations.  There  is  no  dispute  as  to  the  magnitude  of 
the  evil ;  the  dispute  touches  the  right,  the  feasibility  of  repress 
ing  it,  and  the  best  way  of  so  doing.  .  .  .  Prohibition  has  been 
supported  on  other  grounds  besides  that  of  the  evil  growing  out 
of  the  sale  and  use  of  strong  drink.  It  has  been  classed  with  the 
sale  of  poisons,  because  the  alcohol  unmixed  is  a  noxious  sub 
stance  in  the  system.  It  has  been  said  that  to  touch  anything 
which  can  intoxicate  is  a  sin  on  account  of  the  example  thus 
placed  before  the  weak,  which,  if  it  were  true,  would  only  affect 
the  action  of  individuals  acting  in  the  light  of  personal  duty,  but 
could  not  be  a  ground  for  legislation.  It  has  been  claimed  that 
much  of  the  inferior  spirituous  liquor  is  adulterated,  which  may 
be  true,  as  it  is  of  coffee,  sugar,  and  even  flour.  But  this,  while 
it  calls  for  police  inspection  of  the  articles  sold  in  the  shops, 
does  not  of  itself  call  for  prohibition.  The  grocer  is  bound  to 
ascertain,  as  far  as  he  can,  that  his  articles  are  what  they  pretend 
to  be  and  contain  no  noxious  ingredients.  And  this  will  be  gen 
erally  known  by  the  price  which  is  charged  to  him  and  by  the 
reputation  which  certain  sellers  or  manufacturers  acquire.  And 
there  are  chemical  and  other  tests  of  spirituous  liquors .  Prohibi 
tion,  then,  if  the  best  means  for  suppressing  drunkenness,  must 
be  looked  at  simply  as  a  means  of  getting  rid  of  a  very  enormous 
evil  in  society.  Is  it,  or  is  it  likely  to  become,  an  effectual  pre 
ventive?  Experience  in  this  country  has  proved  that  it  is  not 
effectual." — Woolsey,  "Political  Science,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  426. 

"  Law  and  government  are  the  sovereign  influence  in  human 
society;  in  the  last  resort  they  shape  and  control  it  at  their 
pleasure.  Institutions  depend  on  them  and  are  by  them  formed 
and  modified.  What  they  sanction  will  ever  be  generally  con 
sidered  innocent ;  what  they  condemn  is  thereby  made  a  crime, 
and  if  persisted  in  becomes  rebellion." — Thomas  Arnold. 

"  It  is  better  to  allow  men  to  do  a  great  deal  of  evil  than  to  re 
strict  individual  liberty  to  such  a  degree  that  government  and 
law  will  be  looked  on  as  enemies.  The  evil,  if  it  be  plainly  such, 
and  yet  does  not  obviously  or  seriously  threaten  the  existence  or 
the  well-being  of  society,  must  be  endured  for  the  sake  of  free 
dom,  and  be  left  to  society  and  opinion  to  correct." — Woolsey, 
"Political  Science,"  vol.  i.,  p.  232. 


APPENDIX  227 

"  Make  it  as  hard  as  possible  for  a  man  to  go  wrong,  and  as 
easy  as  possible  for  a  man  to  go  right." — Gladstone. 

"But  when  a  sect  (reform  party)  becomes  powerful,  when  its 
favor  is  the  road  to  riches  and  dignities,  worldly  and  ambitious 
men  crowd  into  it,  talk  its  language,  conform  strictly  to  its 
ritual,  mimic  its  peculiarities,  and  frequently  go  beyond  its 
honest  members  in  all  the  outward  indications  of  zeal.  No  dis 
cernment,  no  watchfulness  on  the  part  of  ecclesiastical  rulers 
(party  leaders)  can  prevent  the  intrusion  of  such  false  brethren. 
The  tares  and  the  wheat  must  grow  together.  Soon  the  world 
begins  to  find  out  that  the  godly  are  not  better  than  other  men, 
and  argues,  with  some  justice,  that  if  not  better  they  must  be 
much  worse.  In  no  long  time  all  those  signs  which  were  for 
merly  regarded  as  characteristic  of  a  saint  are  regarded  as  char 
acteristic  of  a  knave." — Macaulay. 

"The  state,  in  the  enactment  of  its  laws,  must  exercise  its 
judgment  concerning  what  acts  tend  to  corrupt  the  public 
morals,  impoverish  the  community,  disturb  the  public  repose, 
injure  the  other  public  interests,  or  even  impair  the  comfort  of 
individual  members  over  which  its  protecting  watch  and  care  are 
required.  And  the  power  to  judge  of  this  question  is  neces 
sarily  reposed  alone  in  the  legislature,  from  whose  decision  no 
appeal  can  be  taken,  directly  or  indirectly,  to  any  other  depart 
ment  of  the  government.  When,  therefore,  the  legislature, 
with  this  exclusive  authority,  has  exercised  right  of  judging 
concerning  this  legislative  question  by  the  enactment  of  pro 
hibitions  like  those  discussed  in  this  chapter,  all  other  depart 
ments  of  the  government  are  bound  by  the  decision,  which  no 
court  has  a  jurisdiction  to  review." — Bishop  on  "Statutory 
Crimes,"  sec.  995. 

"  It  does  not  follow  that  a  compulsory  law  embodies  the  will 
of  the  people,  because  every  man  who  is  opposed  to  that  law  is 
at  least  ten  times  more  anxious  to  gain  his  end  than  his  adver 
saries  are  to  gain  theirs.  He  is  ready  to  make  far  greater  sacri 
fices  to  attain  it.  One  man  rather  wishes  for  what  he  regards 
as  a  slight  sanitary  safeguard ;  the  other  is  determined  not  to  sub 
mit  to  a  gross  violation  of  his  liberty.  How  differently  the  two 


228  APPENDIX 

are  actuated !  One  man  is  willing  to  pay  a  farthing  in  the  pound 
for  a  desirable  object ;  the  other  is  ready  to  risk  property,  and 
perhaps  life,  to  defeat  that  object.  In  such  cases  as  this  it  is 
sheer  folly  to  pretend  that  counting  heads  is  a  fair  indication  of 
the  forces  behind.  Majorities,  for  their  own  sakes,  would  do 
well  not  to  bring  minorities  to  bay." — Donisthorpe,  "  Individual 
ism,"  p.  46. 

"The  best  way  to  repeal  a  bad  law  is  to  enforce  it." — U.  S. 
Grant. 


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